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This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Emily Dickinson
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote expresses the heaviness of difficult experiences and the eventual release that follows them.

Emily Dickinson's quote captures the essence of enduring pain and hardship, likening it to the sensations of cold and numbness experienced by those in distress. It speaks to the process of remembering struggles once they have passed and the eventual acceptance of letting go, similar to how a freezing person recalls the cold before surrendering to it. The imagery reflects a profound truth about the human condition, where suffering can lead to profound reflection and ultimately, a release from emotional burden.

Themes

PainRemembranceLetting GoSufferingAcceptance

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be shared during a reflection session on overcoming past challenges.

More from Emily Dickinson

Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
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I held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,β€” The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
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I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
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My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
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Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
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God is not so wary as we, else He would give us no friends, lest we forget Him! The charms of the heaven in the bush are superseded, I fear, by the heaven in the hand, occasionally.
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