Here rests his head upon the lap of earth, A youth to fortune and to fame unknown: Fair Science frown'd not on his humble birth, And Melancholy mark'd him for her own.
Thomas GrayRead
Visions of glory, spare my aching sight! Ye unborn ages, crowd not on my soul!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a yearning to avoid the overwhelming thoughts of future glory and aspirations that can burden the present.
In this quote, Thomas Gray reflects on the tension between human ambition and the weight it can impose on one's current state of being. He implores visions of future glory and the expectations of unborn generations to spare him from their burdens, suggesting that such lofty ideals can obscure the beauty of the present and lead to inner turmoil. The yearning for a simpler existence free from the pressure of aspirations resonates deeply with the human experience of grappling with ambition and purpose.
Themes
VisionGloryBurdenAmbitionPresent
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk about balancing dreams and reality.
More from Thomas Gray
All quotes βCan honor's voice provoke the silent dust, or flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of death?
Thomas GrayRead
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray; Along the cool sequester'd vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
Thomas GrayRead
Ah, happy hills! ah, pleasing shade! Ah, fields beloved in vain! Where once my careless childhood stray'd, A stranger yet to pain! I feel the gales that from ye blow A momentary bliss bestow.
Thomas GrayRead
Any fool may write a most valuable book by chance, if he will only tell us what he heard and saw with veracity.
Thomas GrayRead
Sweet is the breath of vernal shower,/ The bee's collected treasure sweet,/ Sweet music's melting fall, but sweeter yet/ The still small voice of gratitude.
Thomas GrayRead
Similar quotes
One great use of words is to hide our thoughts.
VoltaireRead
I do not want to make my stomach a graveyard of dead animals.
George Bernard ShawRead
In social policy, when we provide a safety net, it should be designed to help people take more entrepreneurial risks, not to turn them into dependents. This doesn't mean that we should be callous to the underprivileged.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead
The only time you should look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them.
Louis C. K.Read
The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.
George R. R. MartinRead
What you hope, you will eventually believe. _x000D_ What you believe you will eventually know. What you know, you will eventually create. What you create, _x000D_ you will eventually experience. What you experience, _x000D_ you will eventually express. What you express, _x000D_ you will eventually become. _x000D_ This is the formula for all of life.
Neale Donald WalschRead