How little it takes to make life unbearable: a pebble in the shoe, a cockroach in the spaghetti, a woman's laugh.
Stones taught me to fly_x000D_ Love taught me to lie_x000D_ And life taught me to die_x000D_ So it's not hard to fall_x000D_ When you float like a cannonball.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the lessons learned from experiences, including love and existence, suggesting that falling is inevitable when one has lofty aspirations.
In this quote, Damien Rice uses powerful imagery to convey the complexities of life, love, and loss. The speaker draws attention to various hardships and educations received from personal experiences—where stones symbolize hardship or challenges, love represents deception or vulnerability, and life signifies the ultimate reality of death. The phrase 'float like a cannonball' suggests that high expectations or dreams can lead to profound falls, emphasizing that the journey of life is fraught with difficulties despite aspirations to soar.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speaker might use this quote to discuss the importance of resilience after setbacks.
Similar quotes
They're always looking forward to going places they're just coming back from, or regretting doing things they haven't yet done. They say hello when they mean goodbye.
...We can work it out. Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.
Our 'mistakes' become our crucial parts, sometimes our best parts, of the lives we have made.
Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.
From the age of 15 to 50, I'd hardly stepped out of a kitchen. I just wanted to live a little, to spend time with my wife and children. The first time I saw snow was when I was 50, because I'd never had the time before.