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And when suddenly the god stopped her and, with anguish in his cry, uttered the words: ‘He has turned round’ – she comprehended nothing and said softly: ‘Who?
Rainer Maria Rilke
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the confusion and emotional turmoil that accompanies unexpected change or loss.

In this poignant quote by Rainer Maria Rilke, the moment of being stopped by a divine presence conveys a sense of urgency and despair. The phrase ‘He has turned round’ symbolizes a pivotal change in direction, possibly referencing the loss of someone or the shift in a relationship, leaving the other person bewildered and searching for clarity amid their distress. It encapsulates the deep human experience of grappling with the inexplicable nature of change.

Themes

ChangeLossConfusionRelationshipAnguish

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about the emotional impact of change in relationships.

More from Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
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Verses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
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a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
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He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
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The only journey is the one within.
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And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
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