O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Only a look and a voice; then darkness again and silence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the transient nature of life and communication, highlighting moments of connection that are often fleeting.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's quote speaks to the ephemeral quality of human interactions, where brief moments of connection can be followed by profound silence and absence. It captures the essence of how interactions can spark feelings and memories, yet vanish just as quickly, leading one to ponder the deeper meanings behind presence and absence in our lives.
Themes
CommunicationSilenceTransienceAbsenceConnectionExistence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the significance of fleeting moments in relationships.
More from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All quotes βThere are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Similar quotes
And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look behind From where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game.
Joni MitchellRead
Duty and dereliction guide thee back to solitude.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
I have always reckoned the dignity of the republic of first importance and preferable to life.
Julius CaesarRead
Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will.
BodhidharmaRead
This is the humbling truth that lies at the heart of Christianity. We love to be our own saviors. Our hearts love to manufacture glory for themselves. So we find messages of self-salvation extremely attractive, whether they are religious (Keep these rules and you earn eternal blessing) or secular (Grab hold of these things and youβll experience blessing now).
Timothy KellerRead
On the night that the Second World war was declared, there were crowds in the street. It was a summer's night and there was a blackout. On every side you heard people crying: 'Look at the moon!' The moon had been there every minute of their lives and they'd never seen it.
Laurens Van Der PostRead