"To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse, make it feel good, is the great skill."
Alexandra David-NeelRead
All things are aggregations of atoms that dance & by their movement produce sound. When the rhythm of the dance changes, the sound it produces also changes... Each atom perpetually sings its song, and the sound at every moment creates dense subtle forms.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the connection between physical matter and the music of existence, suggesting that everything in the universe is interconnected through vibrational patterns.
Alexandra David-Neel's quote expresses the idea that all matter is composed of atoms that are in constant motion, creating a rhythmic dance that produces sound. This represents a deeper philosophical standpoint that everything in the universe is interconnected and continuously changing, and that these changes affect the essence and nature of reality itself. The 'song' of each atom symbolizes its unique contribution to the larger fabric of existence, suggesting a harmonious relationship between the physical world and its underlying vibrational energy.
Themes
AtomsDanceSoundRhythmExistenceInterconnectedness
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy lecture discussing the nature of reality and existence.
More from Alexandra David-Neel
All quotes →To the one who knows how to look and feel, every moment of this free wandering life is an enchantment.
Alexandra David-NeelRead
Similar quotes
It happened, as many things do, imperceptibly, in many ways at once. I date it - the slow crumbling of my faith, the pulverization of my fortress - from the time, about a year after I had begun to preach, when I began to read again. I justified this desire by the fact that I was still in school, and I began, fatally, with Dostoyevsky.
James A. BaldwinRead
Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully. Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh; "my name means the shape I am - and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.
Lewis CarrollRead
Victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan.
Galeazzo CianoRead
Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.
HomerRead
When government - in pursuit of good intentions - tries to rearrange the economy, legislate morality, or help special interests, the cost come in inefficiency, lack of motivation, and loss of freedom. Government should be a referee, not an active player.
Milton FriedmanRead
When I sleep every night, what am I called or not called? And when I wake, who am I if I was not I while I slept?
Pablo NerudaRead