17. Butterfly A butterfly fluttered its wings in a wind thick with the smell of seaweed. His dry lips felt the touch of the butterfly for the briefest instant, yet the wisp of wing dust still shone on his lips years later.
Rynosuke AkutagawaRead
A man sometimes devotes his life to a desire which he is not sure will ever be fulfilled. Those who laugh at this folly are, after all, no more than mere spectators of life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the idea that pursuing unfulfilled desires is a part of life, and those who criticize such pursuits are merely observing rather than engaging.
In this quote, Rynosuke Akutagawa emphasizes the complexity of human desires and the pursuit of dreams, even when the outcome is uncertain. He suggests that dedicating oneself to a desire, despite the potential for disappointment, is a fundamental aspect of living fully. Those who ridicule this commitment are merely onlookers who do not grasp the richness of living a life driven by passion, regardless of the eventual fulfillment of those desires.
Themes
DesireLifeFulfillmentPursuitCommitmentDreams
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about following one's dreams despite uncertainties.
More from Rynosuke Akutagawa
All quotes →Similar quotes
What give all that is tragic, whatever its form, the characteristic of the sublime, is the first inkling of the knowledge that the world and life can give no satisfaction, and are not worth our investment in them. The tragic spirit consists in this. Accordingly it leads to resignation.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.
BuddhaRead
I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness; you are not needed there at all. No scope of your talents; only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God. (pg 40)
C. S. LewisRead
In our memories, there is a graveyard where we bury our dead. They all lie there together, the loved ones and the ones we hated, friends and foes and kin, with no distinction among them. We have to mourn every one of them, because our memories have made them as much a part of us as our bones or our skin. If we don't, we've no right to remember anything at all.
Steven BrustRead
Religions are founded by what mystics say when they come back; but what the mystics say is not the same as what happened to them.
Ram DassRead
The holy law of Jesus Christ governs our civilisation, but it does not yet permeate it.
Victor HugoRead