Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
Do you remember how life yearned out of childhood toward the "great thing?" I see that it is now yearning forth beyond the great thing toward the greater one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the natural progression of human aspirations, moving from childhood dreams to greater ambitions in adulthood.
Rainer Maria Rilke's quote emphasizes the essence of personal growth and evolution of desires over time. It illustrates how, as we transition from the innocence of childhood, our focus shifts from initial dreams to increasingly profound ambitions, suggesting that life's journey involves an ongoing quest for greater meaning and achievement. This yearning signifies not only a personal transformation but also a broader understanding of what is truly valuable in life.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could inspire a graduation speech focused on future achievements.
More from Rainer Maria Rilke
All quotes βVerses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
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