We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Rudyard KiplingRead
I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chains - I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs. I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar cane; I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs. I will go out until the day, until the morning break - Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress; I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake. I will revisit my lost love and playmates masterless!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a yearning for freedom and a rejection of bondage, celebrating the return to one’s true self and natural state.
In this quote, Rudyard Kipling communicates a profound desire for liberty and a connection to one's authentic identity. The speaker reflects on past constraints represented by 'rope and chains' and vows to reclaim their former strength and unrestrained spirit. They envision a journey back to nature and freedom, rejecting the societal expectations and material offerings that diminish their worth. This passage embodies a strong sense of resilience and the pursuit of true companionship with one's roots and community, emphasizing the importance of self-identity and freedom over subservience.
Themes
FreedomIdentityStrengthNatureResilience
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming life's challenges.
More from Rudyard Kipling
All quotes →Humble because of knowledge; mighty by sacrifice.
Rudyard KiplingRead
Hear and attend and listen; for this is what befell and be-happened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild -as wild as wild could be - and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him
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I keep six honest serving men.
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And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
Rudyard KiplingRead
Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
Rudyard KiplingRead
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