Truth is what is true, and it's not necessarily factual. Truth and fact are not the same thing. Truth does not contradict or deny facts, but it goes through and beyond facts. This is something that it is very difficult for some people to understand. Truth can be dangerous.
For the things that are seen are temporal, but things that are unseen are eternal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that material possessions and experiences are temporary, whereas the things that have true significance, like love and faith, last forever.
Madeleine L'Engle's quote emphasizes the contrast between the transient nature of the physical world and the enduring quality of the spiritual and emotional realms. It encourages individuals to focus on what truly matters—relationships, values, and beliefs—rather than becoming overly attached to fleeting material items or situations. This perspective invites a deeper reflection on the nature of existence and encourages a prioritization of the intangible aspects of life, which ultimately define our legacy.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about focusing on relationships rather than material possessions.
More from Madeleine L'Engle
All quotes →George MacDonald gives me renewed strength during times of trouble--times when I have seen people tempted to deny God--when he says, "The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like his.
If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.
I never want to lose the story-loving child within me, or the adolescent, or the young woman, or the middle-aged one, because all together they help me to be fully alive on this journey, and show me that I must be willing to go where it takes me, even through the valley of the shadow.
The minute we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget the questions.
When we believe in the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things.
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But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.
When goals go, meaning goes. When meaning goes, purpose goes. When purpose goes, life goes dead on our hands.