Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
Henry MillerRead
One can see now how the idea of heaven takes hold of men's consciousness, how it gains ground even when all the props have been knocked from under it. There must be another world beside this swamp in which everything is dumped pell-mell. It's hard to imagine what it can be like, this heaven that men dream about.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on humanity's enduring hope for a better existence beyond the struggles of life.
Henry Miller's quote delves into the human consciousness and the persistent yearning for a transcendent reality, often referred to as heaven. It suggests that even in a chaotic world filled with struggles and despair, the dream of a serene and perfect existence continues to thrive within the human spirit, highlighting our innate desire for hope and meaning beyond our current circumstances.
In practice
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might use this quote to illustrate the idea of hope.
Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
I saw through to the last sign and symbol, but I could not read her face. I could see only the eyes shining through, huge, fleshy-like luminous beasts, as though I were swimming behind them in the electric effluvia of her incandescent vision.
The essential thing is to WANT to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Great God! What have I turned into? What right have you people to clutter up my life, steal my time, probe my soul, suckle my thoughts, have me for your companion, confidant, and information bureau? What do you take me for? Am I an entertainer on salary, required every evening to play an intellectual farce under your stupid noses? Am I a slave, bought and paid for, to crawl on my belly in front of you idlers and lay at your feet all that I do and all that I know?
We are swimming on the face of time and all else has drowned, is drowning, or will drown.
To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Snow reminds Ka of God! But I’m not sure it would be accurate. What brings me close to God is the silence of snow.
Keep things at arm's length... If you let anything come too near you want to hold on to it. And there is nothing a man can hold on to.
I'm a study of a man in chaos in search of frenzy.
Dear me, I believe I am becoming a god. An emperor ought at least to die on his feet.
I often think of the image only I can see now, and of which I’ve never spoken. It’s always there, in the same silence, amazing. It’s the only image of myself I like, the only one in which I recognize myself, in which I delight
Suffering is the positive element in this world, indeed it is the only link between this world and the positive.
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