As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.
Henry Van DykeRead
A tear that trembles for a little while _x000D_ Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world _x000D_ Wavers within its circle like a dream, _x000D_ Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb _x000D_ Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that a single tear can hold deeper significance than vast, impersonal landscapes.
Henry Van Dyke's quote illustrates the profound meaning contained within a single tear. It emphasizes the idea that small, intimate experiences, such as an emotional tear, can convey more insight and emotion than the expansive and often detached views of the world around us. The trembling tear symbolizes personal struggle and emotion, standing in stark contrast to the blurred and distant landscapes which represent the bigger, yet less meaningful picture of life.
Themes
EmotionTearMeaningLifeExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the depth of human emotion, one might quote Van Dyke to highlight personal experiences.
More from Henry Van Dyke
All quotes βIt is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.
Henry Van DykeRead
Let me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, "This is my work; my blessing, not my doom; Of all who live, I am the one by whom This work can best be done in the right way."
Henry Van DykeRead
And you will remember that love is not getting, but giving; not a wild dream of pleasure, and a madness of desire β oh no, love is not that β it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living β yes, love is that; and it is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives longest.
Henry Van DykeRead
Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air; And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair; And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome; But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.
Henry Van DykeRead
No amount of energy will take the place of thought. A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.
Henry Van DykeRead
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There are souls that are incurable and lost to the rest of society. Deprive them of one means of folly, they will invent ten thousand others. They will create subtler, wilder methods, methods that are absolutely DESPERATE. Nature herself is fundamentally antisocial, it is only by a usurpation of powers that the organized body of society opposes the natural inclination of humanity.
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Arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit: for merit itself is offensive.
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