Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
If we really want to live, we'd better start at once to try.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the urgency of taking action to truly experience life.
This quote by W. H. Auden suggests that if we desire to fully embrace life and its experiences, we must take immediate action. Procrastination can prevent us from living authentically and deeply, so it's important to start pursuing our goals and passions without delay.
Themes
LiveActionLifeExperienceUrgency
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech to encourage people to pursue their dreams.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes →That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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