There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
They don't understand what it is to be awake, / To be living on several planes at once / Though one cannot speak with several voices at once.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the complexity of human consciousness and awareness, suggesting that true understanding involves multiple perspectives.
T. S. Eliot's quote explores the idea that being truly awake means experiencing life in its multifaceted nature. It hints at the struggle to express this complex awareness, emphasizing that while one can perceive multiple realities or perspectives simultaneously, articulating them coherently is a challenge. The juxtaposition of living on 'several planes' suggests a depth of consciousness that transcends ordinary awareness, hinting at a profound understanding of existence.
Themes
AwarenessConsciousnessPerspectiveExistenceComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mindfulness and awareness, you could reference this quote to illustrate the depth of human experience.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
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I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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In the matter of a difficult question it is more likely that the truth should have been discovered by the few than by the many.
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Either human intelligence ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It is strange that some people claim that it is their intelligence that leads them to prefer the first to the second.
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