Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
I am the truth, since I am part of what is real, but neither more nor less than those around me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that truth is inherently linked to reality and the context of one's environment.
Wallace Stevens emphasizes that truth is not an absolute or superior concept but rather is intrinsically connected to one's existence and the collective experiences shared with others. By stating that he is 'the truth,' Stevens suggests that understanding reality requires recognizing one's place within it and acknowledging that each individual's perspective contributes to the broader understanding of what is real.
Themes
TruthRealityPerceptionExistencePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussion on objective vs subjective truth.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes βMost modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
Wallace StevensRead
After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
Wallace StevensRead
Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Wallace StevensRead
LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
Wallace StevensRead
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
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