How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?
There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even—the French air clears up the brain and does good—a world of good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Van Gogh expresses the unique and uplifting qualities of Paris, suggesting that even in hardship, the city's essence brings clarity and positivity.
In this quote, Vincent Van Gogh highlights the singular beauty and influence of Paris, asserting that despite the struggles of life, the atmosphere of the city has a refreshing and revitalizing effect on the mind and spirit. He implies that the challenges one faces are mitigated by the unique cultural and emotional benefits of being in such a remarkable place, emphasizing the intrinsic value that a particular environment can have on one's well-being.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote when discussing the impact of cities on personal well-being.
More from Vincent Van Gogh
All quotes →Describing Starry Night: Firmament and planets both disappeared, but the mighty breath which gives life to all things and in which all is bound up remained.
To express a marriage of two complementary colors, their mingling and their opposition, the mysterious vibrations of kindred tones.
Great things do not just happen by impulse, _x000D_ but as a succession of small things linked together.
The world concerns me only in so far as I have a certain debt and duty to it, because I have lived in it for thirty years and owe to it to leave behind some souvenir in the shape of drawings and paintings – not done to please any particular movement, but within which a genuine human sentiment is expressed.
To believe in God for me is to feel that there is a God, not a dead one, or a stuffed one, who with irresistible force urges us towards more loving.
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