QuoteProject
It’s terrible to lie in chains,_x000D_ To rot in dungeon deep,_x000D_ But it’s still worse, when you are free_x000D_ To sleep, and sleep, and sleep.
Taras Shevchenko
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the deeper despair of a mind in captivity despite physical freedom.

Taras Shevchenko's quote reflects the profound existential dilemma of being trapped in a state of apathy and stagnation even when one is outwardly free. It suggests that mere physical liberation is not sufficient if one's mind and spirit remain shackled by indifference or inaction, portraying a deeper sense of suffering that transcends mere imprisonment.

Themes

FreedomApathyCaptivityDespairExistentialism

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about mental health and the importance of engagement in life.

More from Taras Shevchenko

All has gone to rest, and I don't know whether I'm alive or will live or whether I'm rushing like this through the world for I'm not longer weeping or laughing
Taras ShevchenkoRead

Similar quotes

Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
I am good to people who are good. I am also good to people who are not good. Because Virtue is goodness.
LaoziRead
How often are the perpetrators of hate-crimes discovered to be self-loathing? Valued individuals do not strike out against strangers.
Harvey FiersteinRead
It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.
Margaret MeadRead
I believe strongly in 'giving while living.' I see little reason to delay giving when so much good can be achieved through supporting worthwhile causes today. Besides, it's a lot more fun to give while you live than to give while you are dead.
Chuck FeeneyRead
Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.
H. P. LovecraftRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.