Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.
Madeline MillerRead
We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a profound connection and joy experienced in a relationship, likening it to divine feelings.
In this quote, Madeline Miller captures the euphoria and intensity of love, suggesting that in the early stages of a deep connection, individuals can feel almost transcendent, as if they possess a god-like joy that eclipses everything else. The image of being 'like gods at the dawning of the world' evokes a sense of wonder and new beginnings, focusing solely on the cherished bond shared with another person, enhancing the beauty and exclusivity of this love.
Themes
LoveJoyConnectionIntensityRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
In a wedding speech, to highlight the divine feeling of love.
More from Madeline Miller
All quotes βWhen I first started studying Greek, one of my absolute favorite parts was realizing that so many English words had these old, secret roots. Learning Greek was like being given a super-power: linguistic x-ray vision.
Madeline MillerRead
I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away from me, giddy with freedom. This, and this, and this, I said to him. I did not have to fear that I spoke too much. I did not have to worry that I was too slender, or too slow. This and this and this! I taught him how to skip stones, and he taught me how to carve wood. I could feel every nerve in my body, every brush of air against my skin.
Madeline MillerRead
I stopped watching for ridicule, the scorpion's tail hidden in his words. He said what he meant; he was puzzled if you did not. Some people might have mistaken this for simplicity. But is it not a sort of genius to cut always to the heart?
Madeline MillerRead
Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. "No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.
Madeline MillerRead
Similar quotes
One of the many quotes on love..."Love can come only with time and sentience. We learn it as we learn language--and some never learn it well. Love is like a tool, though it is not a tool; something strange and wonderful to use, difficult to master, and mysterious in its provenance.
Catherynne M. ValenteRead
To love blindly is to love selfishly, because the goal of such love is not the real advantage of the beloved but only the exercise of love in our own souls.
Thomas MertonRead
I was the subject of an experiment in love. I lived my life under her gaze, undergoing certain trials for her so that she would not have to undergo them for herself. But, how are our certainties forged, except by the sweat and tears of other people? If your parents don't teach you how to live; you learn it from books; and clever people watch you learn from your mistakes.
Hilary MantelRead
Some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet, you don't even know it's there.
Erma BombeckRead
as some strings, untouched, sound when no one is speaking. So it was when love slipped inside us.
Jane HirshfieldRead
Cities, in many ways, are the best repositories for a love affair. You are in a forest or a cornfield, you are walking by the seashore, footprint after footprint of trodden sand, and somehow the kiss or the spoken covenant gets lost in the vastness and indifference of nature. In a city there are places to remind us of what has been.
Edna O'BrienRead