In certain ways writing is a form of prayer.
Denise LevertovRead
Wear scarlet! Tear the green lemons off the tree! I don't want to forget who I am, what has burned in me, and hang limp and clean, an empty dress -
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for authenticity and self-identity amidst external pressures.
In this quote, Denise Levertov emphasizes the importance of remaining true to oneself and not succumbing to societal expectations. The vivid imagery of wearing scarlet and tearing green lemons suggests a bold and passionate rejection of conformity, advocating for an unapologetic embrace of one's true nature and experiences, even if they feel painful or challenging.
Themes
AuthenticityIdentitySelf-ExpressionIndividualityCourage
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about self-empowerment, one might say, 'As Denise Levertov advises, we should wear scarlet and embrace our true selves.'
More from Denise Levertov
All quotes →I thought I was growing wings— it was a cocoon. I thought, now is the time to step into the fire— it was deep water. Eschatology is a word I learned as a child: the study of Last Things; facing my mirror—no longer young, the news—always of death, the dogs—rising from sleep and clamoring and howling, howling.... ("Seeing For a Moment")
Denise LevertovRead
But we have only begun to love the earth. We have only begun to imagine the fullness of life. How could we tire of hope?-so much is in bud.
Denise LevertovRead
Rain-diamonds, this winter morning, embellish the tangle of unpruned pear-tree twigs; each solitaire, placed, it appears, with considered judgement, bears the light beneath the rifted clouds - the invisible shared out in endless abundance.
Denise LevertovRead
An absolute_x000D_ patience._x000D_ Trees stand_x000D_ up to their knees in_x000D_ fog. The fog_x000D_ slowly flows_x000D_ uphill._x000D_ White_x000D_ cobwebs, the grass _x000D_ leaning where deer _x000D_ have looked for apples._x000D_ The woods_x000D_ from brook to where_x000D_ the top of the hill looks_x000D_ over the fog, send up_x000D_ not one bird._x000D_ So absolute, it is_x000D_ no other than_x000D_ happiness itself, a breathing_x000D_ too quiet to hear.
Denise LevertovRead
Peace as a positive condition of society, not merely as an interim between wars, is something so unknown that it casts no images on the mind's screen.
Denise LevertovRead
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Christian, let God's distinguishing love to you be a motive to you to fear Him greatly. He has put His fear in your heart, and may not have given that blessing to your neighbor, perhaps not to your husband, your wife, your child, or your parent. Oh, what an obligation should this thought lay upon your heart to greatly fear the Lord! Remember also that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favorites, and to those who are greatly beloved.
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