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Why is life speeded up so? Why are things so terribly, unbearably precious that you can't enjoy them but can only wait breathless in dread of their going?
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote expresses the idea that life can feel overwhelming and fleeting, making it hard to fully appreciate the moment.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh reflects on the rapid passage of time and the preciousness of experiences that can lead to anxiety and fear of loss. The quote suggests that instead of enjoying life's moments, we may find ourselves anxiously anticipating their end, making it difficult to savor the beauty of now.

Themes

LifeTimePreciousAnxietyMomentEnjoyment

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech at a graduation, one could use the quote to remind graduates to cherish their experiences.

More from Anne Morrow Lindbergh

If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.
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When each partner loves so completely that he has forgotten to ask himself whether or not he is loved in return; when he only knows that he loves and is moving to its music--then, and then only are two people able to dance perfectly in tune to the same rhythm.
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It isn't for the moment you are struck that you need courage, but for that long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security.
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Travelers are always discoverers, especially those who travel by air. There are no signposts in the sky to show a man has passed that way before. There are no channels marked. The flier breaks each second into new uncharted seas.
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Don't wish me happiness - I don't expect to be happy it's gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor - I will need them all.
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I am most anxious to give my own children enough love and understanding so that they won't grow up with an aching void in them--like you and I and Harold and Martha. That can never be filled, and one goes around all one's life trying, trying to make up for what one didn't get that was one's birthright, asking the wrong people for it.
Anne Morrow LindberghRead

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