The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits;- on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Matthew ArnoldRead
Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nature views all beings equally, showing the balance of control and vulnerability in life.
In this quote, Matthew Arnold reflects on the relationship between humanity and nature, illustrating that while humans may think they have dominion over the elements, they are ultimately subject to the whims of nature. The imagery of 'man control the wind' suggests human ambition and power, while 'the wind sweep man away' serves as a reminder of nature's unpredictable and overwhelming strength, highlighting the inherent balance in existence.
Themes
NatureBalanceControlVulnerabilityHumility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about environmental awareness.
More from Matthew Arnold
All quotes βAnd each day brings it's pretty dust, Our soon-choked souls to fll And we forget because we must, And not because we will.
Matthew ArnoldRead
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.
Matthew ArnoldRead
To have the sense of creative activity is the great happiness and the great proof of being alive.
Matthew ArnoldRead
Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human spirit.
Matthew ArnoldRead
Weary of myself, and sick of asking What I am, and what I ought to be, At this vessel's prow I stand, which bears me Forwards, forwards, o'er the starlit sea.
Matthew ArnoldRead
Similar quotes
If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity. If there's no relationship with nature then you become a killer; then you kill baby seals, whales, dolphins, and man either for gain, for "sport," for food, or for knowledge. Then nature is frightened of you, withdrawing its beauty. You may take long walks in the woods or camp in lovely places but you are a killer and so lose their friendship. You probably are not related to anything to your wife or your husband.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead
For in their hearts doth Nature stir them so Then people long on pilgrimage to go And palmers to be seeking foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
The moon shines bright. In such a night as this. When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees and they did make no noise, in such a night.
William ShakespeareRead
I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn't show.
Andrew WyethRead
If you manage to stop the timber industry from cutting this forest, they'll cut that forest. If you stop oil drilling here, they'll go drill there.
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I see an America whose rivers and valleys and lakes hills and streams and plains the mountains over our land and nature's wealth deep under the earth are protected as the rightful heritage of all the people.
Franklin D. RooseveltRead