O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Nor deem the irrevocable Past _x000D_ As wholly wasted, wholly vain, _x000D_ If, rising on its wrecks, at last _x000D_ To something nobler we attain.
Interpretation
The past should not be viewed as wasted if it leads to growth and progress toward something better.
This quote emphasizes the idea that past experiences, even when negative or challenging, have value as they contribute to personal growth and the attainment of greater goals. Longfellow suggests that, instead of dismissing or regretting the past, we should acknowledge it as a stepping stone that can ultimately lead us to achieve nobler aspirations.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming hardships.
O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
Look Upon Every Experience You've Ever Had ... as Having Been Sent to You for Your Benefit
All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us.
Take one, and you cannot take the other. But neither path is safe. Which way would you walk β the way of hard truths or the way of fine lies?
To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
Take advice, but not orders. Only give yourself orders.
Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.
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