But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
Lord ByronRead
I live not in myself, but I become Portion of that around me: and to me High mountains are a feeling, but the hum of human cities torture.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the idea that individual identity is shaped by the environment and experiences around us, emphasizing a preference for nature over urban life.
In this quote, Lord Byron expresses a profound connection between the self and the surrounding world, suggesting that personal identity is intertwined with external influences. He juxtaposes the majestic feeling of nature, symbolized by 'high mountains,' against the discomfort caused by urban life represented by 'the hum of human cities,' revealing his appreciation for nature's tranquility and beauty while critiquing the chaos of human-made environments.
Themes
IdentityNatureUrbanEnvironmentFeeling
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a discussion on the impact of urbanization on mental health.
More from Lord Byron
All quotes βIt is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
Lord ByronRead
For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
Lord ByronRead
Absence - that common cure of love.
Lord ByronRead
Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
Lord ByronRead
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
Lord ByronRead
Similar quotes
When like-minded people, talking mostly with one another, end up thinking a more extreme version of what they thought before they started to talk... If you put a bunch of rebels in a room and ask them to discuss rebellion, they'll get more extreme.
Cass SunsteinRead
Those who praise victory relish manslaughter. Those who relish manslaughter cannot reach their goals in the world.
LaoziRead
Death, I need my little addiction to you. I need that tiny voice who, even as I rise from the sea, all woman, all there, says kill me, kill me.
Anne SextonRead
If an offender has committed murder, he must die. In this case, no possible substitute can satisfy justice. For there is no parallel between death and even the most miserable life, so that there is no equality of crime and retribution unless the perpetrator is judicially put to death.
Immanuel KantRead
There's not too many people that don't think I'm crazy, for walking away from so much money. I'm at a restaurant with my wife, it's a nice restaurant, we're eating dinner. I look across the room, I say, 'You see this guy over here, across the room? He has $100 million.' And we're eating the same entree. So, OK, fine, I don't have $50 million or whatever it was, but say I have $10 million in the bank. The difference in lifestyle is miniscule.
Dave ChappelleRead
Of the three official objects of our prison system: vengeance, deterrence, and reformation of the criminal, only one is achieved; and that is the one which is nakedly abominable.
George Bernard ShawRead