It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Venus, when her son was lost,_x000D_ _x000D_ Cried him up and down the coast,_x000D_ _x000D_ In hamlets, palaces, and parks,_x000D_ _x000D_ And told the truant by his marks,-_x000D_ _x000D_ Golden curls, and quiver, and bow.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the deep emotional bond between a mother and her child, showcasing the lengths a mother will go to find her loved one.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson captures the essence of maternal love and the desperation that comes with losing a child. The imagery of Venus, the goddess of love, searching for her son along various landscapes highlights the universal nature of a mother’s love, illustrating both the pain of loss and the hope of reunion. The details of the child's golden curls and attributes emphasize the personal connection and unique identity that makes the search all the more poignant.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a parenting seminar to emphasize the importance of maternal love and commitment.
More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
All quotes →Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
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