We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Rudyard KiplingRead
We're poor little lambs who've lost our way, Baa! Baa! Baa! We're little black sheep who've gone astray, Baa-aa-aa! Gentlemen-rankers out on the spree, Damned from here to Eternity, God ha' mercy on such as we, Baa! Yah! Bah!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the feelings of lostness and societal judgment amidst the struggle for belonging.
In this quote, Kipling uses the imagery of lost lambs and black sheep to convey a sense of moral confusion and social alienation. The characters express a longing for understanding and mercy in a world that often condemns those who stray from the path, suggesting that everyone deserves compassion despite their missteps.
Themes
LossBelongingSocietyMercyMissteps
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about struggles against societal expectations, you might say, 'We're poor little lambs who've lost our way.'
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I keep six honest serving men.
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And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
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Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
Rudyard KiplingRead
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