Often a star was waiting for you to notice it. A wave rolled toward you out of the distant path, or as you walked under an open window, a violin yielded itself to your hearing. All this was mission.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of being aware of the beauty and opportunities that surround us every day.
Rainer Maria Rilke's quote suggests that there are countless moments and elements in life that are waiting to be acknowledged and appreciated. From the distant wave that rolls toward us to the music from a violin, these experiences are like missions calling for our attention. By being open to the world around us, we can discover profound beauty and significance in the seemingly ordinary moments of life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about mindfulness, I would use this quote to illustrate how being present can reveal hidden beauties in our lives.
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
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.
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
Truly, if faith is there, the believer cannot hold back... he breaks out into good works.
The course of our lives is determined by how we react--what we decide and what we do--at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person's true worth and greatness.
Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.
Humbleness, forgiveness, clarity and love are the dynamics of freedom. They are the foundations of authentic power.
The great mystery isn't that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few things well. The only thing that is universal is incompetence. Strength is always specific! Nobody ever commented, for example, that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz probably couldn't play the trumpet very well.
We either allow our past to keep interfering with our optimal expression of love and happiness, or we can move beyond our past with renewed passion for life
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