Through every rift of discovery some seeming anomaly drops out of the darkness, and falls, as a golden link into the great chain of order.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
Physically, man is but an atom in space, and a pulsation in time. Spiritually, the entire outward universe receives significance from him, and the scope of his existence stretches beyond the stars.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that while we are small in the physical universe, our spiritual existence holds great significance.
Edwin Hubbel Chapin's quote emphasizes the contrast between the physicality of human beings as mere atoms in the vast universe and the profound significance of their spiritual existence. Though materially small and fleeting in the grand scheme of the cosmos, individuals embody dignity and purpose, with their consciousness and actions capable of influencing the universe. It suggests that every person has an intrinsic value that transcends physical limitations, proposing that spiritually, humans contribute to the meaning of existence itself.
Themes
ExistenceUniverseSignificanceSpiritualityHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the importance of individual contribution.
More from Edwin Hubbel Chapin
All quotes →Revolution does not insure progress. You may overturn thrones, but what proof that anything better will grow upon the soil?
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Do not ask if a man has been through college; ask if a college has been through him; if he is a walking university.
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Goodness consists not in the outward things we do, but in the inward thing we are.
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Tomorrow may never come to us. We do not live in tomorrow. We cannot find it in any of our title-deeds. The man who owns whole blocks of real estate, and great ships on the sea, does not own a single minute of tomorrow. Tomorrow! It is a mysterious possibility, not yet born. It lies under the seal of midnight-behind the veil of glittering constellations.
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A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings there as easily as a star.
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