For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on a profound moment of awe in the face of nature's beauty, highlighting a unique connection with the world.
F. Scott Fitzgerald eloquently captures the fleeting experience of awe when one is confronted with the grandeur of nature, suggesting that in such moments, human beings are momentarily humbled and compelled to reflect deeply. This encounter evokes a sense of wonder that transcends understanding, emphasizing humanity's capacity for amazement at the vastness and beauty of the world around us.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of preserving natural landscapes, one might use this quote to emphasize the beauty that must be appreciated.
Don't be so anxious about it,' she laughed. 'I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do; I never got the trick of it.' She looked down at him, shy and fatigued. 'So here we are. I told you years ago that I had the makings of Cinderella.' He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his. 'Beg your pardon. Not even used to being touched. But I'm not afraid of you, if you stay quiet and don't move suddenly.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
It was about then [1920] that I wrote a line which certain people will not let me forget: "She was a faded but still lovely woman of twenty-seven."
The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.
But you can love more than just one person, can't you?
A sudden gust of rain blew over them and then another - as if small liquid clouds were bouncing along the land. Lightning entered the sea far off and the air blew full of crackling thunder. The table cloths blew around the pillars. They blew and blew and blew. The flags twisted around the red chairs like live things, the banners were ragged, the corners of the table tore off through the burbling billowing ends of the cloths.
Abusive language and swearing are a legacy of slavery, humiliation, and disrespect for human dignity, one’s own and that of other people.
In the spaniards heart is a great yearning for freedom, but only his own. A great love for truth and honor in all its forms, but not in its substance. And a deep conviction that nothing can be proven except that it be made to bleed. Virgins, bulls, men. Ultimately God himself.
The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn't betray it I'd be ashamed of myself.
'T is heaven alone that is given away; 'T is only God may be had for the asking.
Attempting to satisfy the passions that rage inside us and the longings that motivate us, we invent spirituality, lean on political solutions, create new villains, turn our backs on Jesus, and blame a thousand tyrannies- but we never come to terms with the source of the problem deep within the heart and inclination of every human being.
I try not to speak about all the charities and people I help, because I believe we can only be truly generous when we expect nothing in return.
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