God how I hate new countries: They are older than the old, more sophisticated, much more conceited, only young in a certain puerile vanity more like senility than anything.
D. H. LawrenceRead
Oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and the earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and the setting of the sun, and cut off from the magic connection of the solstice and the equinox!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the disconnection of humanity from nature and the seasons, as well as the personalization of love at the expense of its broader, universal aspects.
D.H. Lawrence's quote expresses a profound concern about the modern human experience, emphasizing the loss of harmony between people and the natural world. He suggests that when individuals separate themselves from the natural rhythms of the earth, like the cycles of the sun and the changing seasons, they also sever meaningful connections, including those of love, which become trivialized. The reference to solstice and equinox symbolizes the turning points in nature that should remind humanity of its connection to something greater than itself. This commentary critiques the modern, individualistic view of love, advocating for a more integrated understanding that encompasses the collective experience of existence.
Themes
NatureLoveConnectionSeasonsRhythm
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental awareness, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of staying connected to nature.
More from D. H. Lawrence
All quotes →A young man is afraid of his demon and puts his hand over the demon's mouth sometimes and speaks for him. And the things the young man says are very rarely poetry.
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And besides, look at elder flowers and bluebells-they are a sign that pure creation takes place - even the butterfly. But humanity never gets beyond the caterpillar stage -it rots in the chrysalis, it never will have wings.It is anti-creation, like monkeys and baboons.
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The Christian fear of the pagan outlook has damaged the whole consciousness of man.
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The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great nerve center from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power that Saturn has over us, or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time.
D. H. LawrenceRead
... he preferred his own madness, to the regular sanity. He rejoiced in his own madness, he was free. He did not want that old sanity of the world, which was become so repulsive. He rejoiced in the new-found world of his madness. It was so fresh and delicate and so satisfying.
D. H. LawrenceRead
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