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Now no joy but lacks salt That is not dashed with pain And weariness and fault; I crave the stain Of tears, the aftermark Of almost too much love, The sweet of bitter bark And burning clove.
Robert Frost
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Joy is often intertwined with pain and struggle, highlighting the complexity of human emotions.

In this quote, Robert Frost expresses the idea that true joy cannot be fully appreciated without experiencing sorrow and hardship. He suggests that the struggles and challenges we face in life add depth and richness to our happiness, indicating that moments of love and joy are often accompanied by sadness and imperfection, which ultimately enrich our experiences and understanding of life.

Themes

JoyPainLoveLifeEmotionsExperienceDepth

In practice

Example use cases

In a graduation speech to emphasize that challenges faced during education are what make achievements more meaningful.

More from Robert Frost

Two such as you with such a master speed, cannot be parted nor be swept away, from one another once you are agreed, that life is only life forevermore, together wing to wing and oar to oar.
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You have freedom when you're easy in your harness.
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God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden
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'Warm in December, cold in June, you say?' _x000D_ _x000D_ I don't suppose the water's changed at all. _x000D_ _x000D_ You and I know enough to know it's warm _x000D_ _x000D_ Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm. _x000D_ _x000D_ But all the fun's in how you say a thing.
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For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It will turn true again, for so it goes.
Robert FrostRead
The question that he frames in all but words is what to make of a diminished thing.
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