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And over your unconsecrated head you'll hear the howling wolves lament their fate and yours the livelong year.
Charles Baudelaire
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects the inevitability of suffering and the weight of fate that burdens us throughout our lives.

In this passage by Charles Baudelaire, the imagery of 'howling wolves' suggests a constant and haunting presence of despair, which accompanies the speaker throughout the year. It explores the themes of fate and existential anguish, indicating that our struggles and the sorrows of life are persistent and inescapable, symbolized by the wolves lamenting their fate and the speaker’s burden, creating a vivid reflection on the human condition.

Themes

SufferingFateAnguishExistentialismDespair

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might quote Baudelaire to illustrate the constant presence of struggle.

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That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity – that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
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There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
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I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
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