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Be secret and exult, Because of all things known That is most difficult.
William Butler Yeats
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the challenge of keeping secrets, suggesting that it can bring a sense of joy or fulfillment.

William Butler Yeats reflects on the profound challenge of maintaining secrets. He suggests that the act of holding onto things that are often kept hidden can be both burdensome and joyous, revealing a complex relationship between secrecy and personal fulfillment. To keep something secret requires discipline and strength, making it a noteworthy achievement among the many facets of human experience.

Themes

SecretJoyDifficultyHuman ExperienceDiscipline

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to illustrate the strength required to maintain personal boundaries.

More from William Butler Yeats

If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
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How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
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