Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature and reflecting in tranquility before moving into the vastness of existence.
Edward Abbey's quote invites us to embrace stillness and contemplation by listening to the river, which represents the flow of life and natural wisdom. It suggests that taking a moment to reflect and connect with our surroundings can lead to deeper thoughts and a better understanding of our place within the universe, encouraging us to appreciate the beauty of nature before we immerse ourselves in the larger mysteries of life, represented by the night and the stars.
Themes
NatureReflectionContemplationRiverStars
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of preserving natural environments.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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