The hardest thing, I think, is to live richly in the present, without letting it be tainted & spoiled out of fear for the future or regret for a badly-managed past.
Sylvia PlathRead
...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for escapism through imagination until reality ultimately intervenes.
In this quote, Sylvia Plath reflects on the power of imagination and dreams as a refuge from the mundane or painful aspects of life. The metaphor of boarding an imagined ship suggests embarking on a journey through the fantasies of the mind, where one can explore vibrant and mystical places ('sacred islands of the mad'). However, the acknowledgment that 'death shatters the fabulous stars' serves as a poignant reminder that this escapism is temporary and that reality—harsh and inevitable—will eventually confront us.
Themes
ImaginationRealityEscapismDeathFantasy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to inspire creativity in an art workshop.
More from Sylvia Plath
All quotes →It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative--which ever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.
Sylvia PlathRead
You walked in, laughing, tears welling confused, mingling in your throat. How can you be so many women to so many people, oh you strange girl?
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I keep wanting to crawl back into the womb.
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It's the living, the eating, the sleeping that everyone needs. Ideas don't matter so much after all. My three best friends are Catholic. I can't see their beliefs, but I can see the things they love to do on earth. When you come right down to it, I do believe in the freedom of the individual.
Sylvia PlathRead
I am still so naïve; I know pretty much what I like and dislike; but please, don’t ask me who I am. A passionate, fragmentary girl, maybe?
Sylvia PlathRead
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