For life is but a dream whose shapes return, some frequently, some seldom, some by night and some by day.
Interpretation
Life is transient and often fleeting, resembling a dream with varying experiences.
This quote by James Thomson conveys the idea that life is ephemeral and resembles a dream in its unpredictability. The 'shapes' of our experiences appear at different times, suggesting that the events and moments we encounter ebb and flow, capturing the essence of permanence in an inherently temporary existence.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing change and uncertainty in life.
There are two lives to each of us, the life of our actions, and the life of our minds and hearts. History reveals men's deeds and their outward characters, but not themselves. There is a secret self that has its own life, unpenetrated and unguessed.
They came from the four corners of the earth, driven by hunger, plague, tumors, and the cold, and stopped here. They couldn’t go any futrther because of the ocean. That’s France, that’s the French people.
The forgiveness of God is one thing, but the proof that we want that forgiveness is the energy we expend to make amends for the wrong.
A conscious attempt to fall asleep is sure to produce insomnia, to try to be conscious of one's own digestion is a sure way to upset the stomach. Consciousness is a poison when we apply it to ourselves. Consciousness is a light directed outward. it's like the headlights on a locomotive—turn them inward and you'd have a crash.
The redeeming feature of war is that it puts a nation to the test. As exposure to the atmosphere reduces all mummies to instant dissolution, so war passes supreme judgment upon social systems that have outlived their vitality.
Writing is a political instrument.
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