If two lives join, there is oft a scar. They are one and one, with a shadowy third; One near one is too far.
Robert BrowningRead
And inasmuch as feeling, the East's gift, Is quick and transient,- comes, and lo! is gone, While Northern thought is slow and durable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts the fleeting nature of feelings with the lasting quality of thoughts.
Robert Browning's quote reflects on the differences between Eastern and Northern philosophies, suggesting that while feelings—often associated with the East—are momentary and ephemeral, the thoughts characteristic of the North tend to be more steady and enduring. This highlights the dichotomy between emotional experience and intellectual reflection, proposing that one must balance both aspects to achieve a deeper understanding of life.
Themes
FeelingsThoughtsPhilosophyEphemeralEnduring
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the differences between Eastern and Western philosophies.
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I dare not so honor my mere wishes and prayers as to put them for a moment beside your noble acts; but this know, I would rather submit to the worst of deaths, so far as pain goes, than have a single dog or cat tortured on the pretence of sparing me a twinge or two.
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How well I know what I mean to do When the long dark Autumn evenings come, And where, my soul, is thy pleasant hue? With the music of all thy voices, dumb In life’s November too! I shall be found by the fire, suppose, O’er a great wise book as beseemeth age, While the shutters flap as the cross-wind blows, And I turn the page, and I turn the page, Not verse now, only prose!
Robert BrowningRead
How good is life, the mere living!
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