Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!_x000D_ _x000D_ O grave! where is thy victory?_x000D_ _x000D_ O death! where is thy sting?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the triumph over death and the power of life.
In this quote, Alexander Pope evokes a powerful imagery of flying and borrowing wings, signifying a desire to overcome earthly limitations and embrace life. The rhetorical questions about death's victory and sting suggest a contemplation of death's nature and hint at a belief in immortality or spiritual transcendence, celebrating the resilience of life in the face of mortality.
Themes
DeathLifeVictorySpiritualityTranscendence
In practice
Example use cases
In a funeral speech to celebrate the life of a loved one.
More from Alexander Pope
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Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
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An honest man's the noblest work of God.
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One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
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Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
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