Could we forbear dispute, and practise love,_x000D_ _x000D_ We should agree as angels do above.
Edmund WallerRead
The lark that shuns on lofty boughs to build, Her humble nest, lies silent in the field.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea of simplicity and humility in contrast to ambition and pride.
Edmund Waller's quote illustrates the tension between the desire for greatness and the value of leading a modest life. The lark, a bird known for its beautiful song, chooses to build its nest in a humble location rather than on lofty branches, symbolizing how true contentment and peace can often be found in simplicity rather than ambition or ostentation.
Themes
LarkHumilityNatureSimplicityContentment
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on personal values, one might invoke this quote to emphasize the importance of living simply and appreciating what we have.
More from Edmund Waller
All quotes βAll human things Of dearest value hang on slender strings.
Edmund WallerRead
The chain that's fixed to the throne of Jove, On which the fabric of our world depends, One link dissolved, the whole creation ends.
Edmund WallerRead
The soul's dark cottage, batter'd and decay'd, Lets in new light through chinks that Time has made. Stronger by weakness, wiser men become As they draw near to their eternal home: Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view That stand upon the threshold of the new.
Edmund WallerRead
Music so softens and disarms the mind That not an arrow does resistance find.
Edmund WallerRead
Vexed sailors cursed the rain, for which poor shepherds prayed in vain.
Edmund WallerRead
Similar quotes
If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that--warm things, kind things, sweet things--help and comfort and laughter--and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.
Frances Hodgson BurnettRead
If people persist in trespassing upon the grizzlies' territory, we must accept the fact that the grizzlies, from time to time, will harvest a few trespassers.
Edward AbbeyRead
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DogenRead
I'm leaving my sorrows and all my memories behind to see what I find, somewhere in the shade near the sound of a sweet singing river, somewhere in the sun where the mountains make love to the sky.
John DenverRead
Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it.
Kofi AnnanRead
My favorite quote: The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land. In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.
Aldo LeopoldRead