We discover that we do not know our role; we look for a mirror; we want to remove our make-up and take off what is false and real. But somewhere a piece of disguise that we forgot still sticks to us. A trace of exaggeration remains in our eyebrows; we do not notice that the corners of our mouth are bent. And so we walk around, a mockery and a mere half: neither having achieved being nor actors.
Interpretation
The quote reflects our struggle to understand our true selves amidst façades.
Rainer Maria Rilke's quote delves into the complexity of self-identity and the masks we wear in life. It suggests that while we seek self-awareness and authenticity, remnants of our constructed identities often persist, preventing us from fully embracing our true selves. The imagery of a forgotten disguise highlights how easily we can become unaware of the influences shaping our perceptions, leaving us in a state of incompleteness as we navigate the world around us.
In practice
In a discussion about personal growth, this quote can illustrate the importance of self-discovery.
Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
Verses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
We're constantly morphing into different outward manifestations of ourselves. That's what I find curious about people.
The human world is a long way from meeting the needs of the present, and it is borrowing massively from the future - not only by piling up money debt, but also by degrading the resources from which all real wealth ultimately comes.
The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.
The prevalent fear of poverty among the educated classes is the worst moral disease from which our civilization suffers.
Man [is] a rational animal, endowed by nature with rights and with an innate sense of justice.
Simplicity is not a goal, but one arrives at simplicity in spite of oneself, as one approaches the real meaning of things.
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