A studio, like a poem, is an intimacy and a freedom you can look out from, into each part of your life and a little beyond.
Jane HirshfieldRead
In sorrow, pretend to be fearless. In happiness, tremble.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the contrasting emotions of sorrow and happiness, suggesting that we often exhibit bravery in difficult times and vulnerability in joyful moments.
Jane Hirshfield's quote ingeniously captures the irony of human emotions, where individuals often find themselves putting on a façade of strength during their most sorrowful times, while feeling fragile and apprehensive when they encounter happiness. It reflects the complexity of emotional experiences, suggesting that our reactions to different states are not only context-dependent but also reveal a deeper vulnerability that lies beneath our outward appearances.
Themes
EmotionSorrowHappinessFearlessnessVulnerability
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech about overcoming challenges and embracing life's ups and downs.
More from Jane Hirshfield
All quotes βWhat we want from art is whatever is missing from the lives we are already living and making. Something is always missing, and so art-making is endless.
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as some strings, untouched, sound when no one is speaking. So it was when love slipped inside us.
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Tree It is foolish to let a young redwood grow next to a house. Even in this one lifetime, you will have to choose. That great calm being, this clutter of soup pots and books-- Already the first branch-tips brush at the window. Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
Jane HirshfieldRead
I write because to write a new sentence, let alone a new poem, is to cross the threshold into both a larger existence and a profound mystery. A thought was not there, then it is. An image, a story, an idea about what it is to be human, did not exist, then it does. With every new poem, an emotion new to the heart, to the world, speaks itself into being.
Jane HirshfieldRead
Zen pretty much comes down to three things -- everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention.
Jane HirshfieldRead
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