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All thought is a feat of association; having what's in front of you bring up something in your mind that you almost didn't know you knew
Robert Frost
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the power of associative thinking, where new ideas are linked to existing knowledge.

Robert Frost highlights that every act of thought involves connecting current information with our previous experiences and memories. This process reveals the depth of our understanding and the hidden knowledge we possess, often without realizing it. Such associations shape our creativity and insights, reminding us of how interconnected our thoughts are.

Themes

ThoughtAssociationKnowledgeMemoryCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

In a classroom setting to encourage students to explore their thoughts more deeply.

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Two such as you with such a master speed, cannot be parted nor be swept away, from one another once you are agreed, that life is only life forevermore, together wing to wing and oar to oar.
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God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden
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'Warm in December, cold in June, you say?' _x000D_ _x000D_ I don't suppose the water's changed at all. _x000D_ _x000D_ You and I know enough to know it's warm _x000D_ _x000D_ Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm. _x000D_ _x000D_ But all the fun's in how you say a thing.
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For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It will turn true again, for so it goes.
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The question that he frames in all but words is what to make of a diminished thing.
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