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I look for myself but find no one. I belong to the chrysanthemum hour of bright flowers placed in tall vases. I should make an ornament of my soul.
Fernando Pessoa
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects a search for identity and belonging, expressing a desire to create beauty from one's inner self.

In this quote, Fernando Pessoa articulates a poignant longing for self-discovery amidst existential uncertainty. He juxtaposes his search for identity with vivid imagery of beauty symbolized by the 'chrysanthemum hour,' suggesting that while he may feel lost in understanding himself, he recognizes the importance of transforming his soul into something that enriches the world around him, akin to how flowers beautify a space.

Themes

IdentityBeautySelf-DiscoveryExistentialismArt

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a motivational speech about finding one's true self amidst life's chaos.

More from Fernando Pessoa

I have at this moment so many fundamental thoughts, so many truly metaphysical things to say, that I suddenly get tired and decide not to write any more, not to think any more, but to allow the fever of speaking to make me sleepy, and with my eyes closed, like a cat, I play with everything I could have said.
Fernando PessoaRead
It's been months since I last wrote. I've lived in a state of mental slumber, leading the life of someone else. I've felt, very often, a vicarious happiness. I haven't existed. I've been someone else. I've lived without thinking.
Fernando PessoaRead
We all have two lives: The true, the one we dreamed of in childhood And go on dreaming of as adults in a substratum of mist; the false, the one we love when we live with others, the practical, the useful, the one we end up by being put in a coffin.
Fernando PessoaRead
I'm a man for whom the outside world is an inner Reality.
Fernando PessoaRead
My dreams are a stupid refuge, like an umbrella against a thunderbolt.
Fernando PessoaRead
The chill of what I won't feel gnaws at my present heart.
Fernando PessoaRead

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