i laced my shoes with sorrow and walked a weary road dead end streets don't come undone with double knots wing tipped shoes that walk on air through vacant lots
pools of blood are not recreational even lifeguards drown when the undertow breaks bread with the underbelly demons disguised as sharks have not put enough thought into their costumes a wiseman stays ashore when pointed fins read like italian subtitles the end is near (...) the beginning
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the dangers and harsh realities of life, emphasizing the importance of wisdom and caution in navigating through it.
Saul Williams' quote presents a vivid and surreal imagery of life’s dangers, drawing parallels between a treacherous ocean and the struggles individuals face. It suggests that even those trained to save others can succumb to the perils lurking beneath the surface, urging us to recognize when to stay away from danger and to rely on our wisdom and insights to navigate life's challenges. The mention of demons and sharks symbolizes the hidden threats in our environment, while the idea of the end and beginning encapsulates the cyclical nature of life, urging us to be aware and prepared for the transitions we encounter.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about resilience and facing life's challenges.
More from Saul Williams
All quotes →There is no music more powerful than hip-hop. No other music so purely demands an instant affirmative on such a global scale. When the beat drops, people nod their heads, “yes,” in the same way that they would in conversation with a loved one, a parent, professor, or minister.
Have you ever lost yourself in a kiss? I mean pure psychedelic inebriation. Not just lustful petting but transcendental metamorphosis when you became aware that the greatness of this being was breathing into you. Licking the sides and corners of your mouth, like sealing a thousand fleshy envelopes filled with the essence of your passionate being and then opened by the same mouth and delivered back to you, over and over again - the first kiss of the rest of your life.
We are unraveling our navels so that we may ingest the sun. We are not afraid of the darkness. We trust that the moon shall guide us. We are determining the future at this very moment. We know that the heart is the philosopher's stone. Our music is our alchemy.
Why shouldn't rap be esoteric, able to take in current events, history and criticism? I guess it's this old idea of containment - that rappers, because they're black, can't and shouldn't aspire to look outside the ghetto for influence.
A lie preserved in stained glass doesn't make it more true.
Similar quotes
You have to start over. That's what they say. But life is not a board game, and losing a loved one is never really "starting over." More like "continuing without.
Every great loss demands that we choose life again. We need to grieve in order to do this. The pain we have not grieved over will always stand between us and life. When we don't grieve, a part of us becomes caught in the past like Lot's wife who, because she looked back, was turned into a pillar of salt.
Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.
I know there are people who don't like their audience or like the experience of being recognized or celebrated, but my audience has been very good - they don't bother me and when they do contact me it's usually on the nicest possible terms.
The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look great, so that everyone looks forward to it.
You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.