He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on self-perception and the nature of identity through a humble and objective lens.
Rainer Maria Rilke uses the imagery of a dog seeing its reflection in a mirror to explore the concept of self-awareness and identity. The way the dog perceives itself as simply another dog, without vanity or complex emotions, suggests a profound simplicity in understanding oneself. This humble objectivity encourages us to consider our own perceptions in a more straightforward and honest manner, distancing ourselves from inflated egos or self-judgments.
In practice
In a personal development workshop to emphasize the importance of seeing oneself honestly.
Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
Verses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
Again and again in history some people wake up. They have no ground in the crowd and move to broader deeper laws. They carry strange customs with them and demand room for bold and audacious action. The future speaks ruthlessly through them. They change the world.
They are lonely. I'm not talking about lonely for a lover or a friend. I mean lonely in the universal sense, lonely inside the understanding that we are tiny people on a tiny little earth suspended in an endless void that echoes past stars and stars of stars.
For many of the world's conflicts, it is difficult even to conjure up a feasible settlement.
For it is often the way we look at other people that imprisons them within their own narrowest allegiances. And it is also the way we look at them that may set them free.
As breath stills our mind, our energies are free to unhook from the senses and bend inward.
We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way - an agreement that holds through our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language.
Those have a short Lent who owe money to be paid at Easter.
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