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
There 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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote speaks about the overwhelming nature of human emotions and how a single word can lead to an irreversible expression of feelings.
Longfellow illustrates how deeply our emotions can run, suggesting that there are pivotal moments when our hearts are filled to the brim with feelings. In such instances, even a small trigger can cause those feelings to pour out uncontrollably, and once shared, they cannot be retracted or hidden away, much like spilled water that cannot be gathered back up.
Themes
EmotionHeartFeelingsWordsExpression
In practice
Example use cases
During a heartfelt moment in a speech about personal experiences.
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