Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
Emily DickinsonRead
If I can stop one heart from breaking…” Emily Dickinson If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that a life dedicated to helping others is meaningful.
Emily Dickinson’s quote emphasizes the value of compassion and altruism. She suggests that the ultimate purpose of life is to alleviate suffering and assist others in distress. By stopping even one heart from breaking or easing someone else's pain, a person’s existence is justified and fulfilled, highlighting the profound impact of small acts of kindness on the broader human experience.
Themes
CompassionKindnessLifeHelping OthersMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one might use this quote to inspire others to help those in need.
More from Emily Dickinson
All quotes →I held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,— The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
Emily DickinsonRead
I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
Emily DickinsonRead
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
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This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Emily DickinsonRead
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
Emily DickinsonRead
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Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even.
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One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me.
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