Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
Emily DickinsonRead
Love can do all but raise the Dead I doubt if even that From such a giant were withheld Were flesh equivalent But love is tired and must sleep, And hungry and must graze And so abets the shining Fleet Till it is out of gaze.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the powerful yet limited nature of love, suggesting that while love can achieve many things, it has its own needs and limitations.
In this quote, Emily Dickinson explores the vast capabilities of love, suggesting that it can accomplish nearly everything except for bringing the dead back to life. However, she acknowledges that love itself has its own needs and vulnerabilities—just like a living being, love requires rest and sustenance. This duality emphasizes the strength of love while also recognizing that it is not infinite and must be nurtured.
Themes
LoveLimitationsNeedsStrengthVulnerability
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the power and limitations of love.
More from Emily Dickinson
All quotes →I held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,— The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
Emily DickinsonRead
I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
Emily DickinsonRead
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
Emily DickinsonRead
This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Emily DickinsonRead
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
Emily DickinsonRead
Similar quotes
Let him have the key of thy heart, who hath the lock of his own.
Thomas BrowneRead
Love, it seems to me, is that condition in which one is most contentedly oneself.
Tony JudtRead
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because you're mine, I walk the line.
Johnny CashRead
Yes, the civilization of love is possible; it is not a utopia. But it is only possible by a constant and ready reference to the "Father from whom all fatherhood and motherhood on earth is named," from whom every human family comes.
Pope John Paul IiRead
The deep, intimate connection I am searching for is within me. I am all that I am looking for. I am love. All is well.
Louise HayRead
Lovers embrace that which is between them rather than each other.
Khalil GibranRead