QuoteProject
I wonder if it hurts to live, And if they have to try, And whether, could they choose between, They would not rather die.
Emily Dickinson
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the pain and struggles of living versus the desire for death.

Emily Dickinson's quote contemplates the inherent pain associated with life and questions whether those who endure it would choose to live if given the option. It delves into the complex relationship between suffering, existence, and the contemplation of mortality, highlighting the philosophical dilemma of life and death.

Themes

PainLifeDeathExistenceStruggle

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on mental health, this quote might be used to highlight the struggles individuals face.

More from Emily Dickinson

Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
Emily DickinsonRead
I held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,β€” The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
Emily DickinsonRead
I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
Emily DickinsonRead
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
Emily DickinsonRead
This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Emily DickinsonRead
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
Emily DickinsonRead

Similar quotes

You shall find out how salt is the taste of another man's bread, and how hard is the way up and down another man's stairs.
Dante AlighieriRead
Speed is not part of the true Way of strategy. Speed implies that things seem fast or slow, according to whether or not they are in rhythm. Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast.
Miyamoto MusashiRead
No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses.
Vladimir LeninRead
Great abundance of riches cannot be gathered and kept by any man without sin.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
We had stretched out our arms to each other and supported something in our joined hands, but this thing we were holding was like a sort of gas that exists when you believe in its existence and disappears when you doubt. The task of supporting it seems simple at first glance, but actually requires an ultimate refinement of calculation and a consummate skill.
Yukio MishimaRead
OUR INSPIRATION: Billy Graham, July 2, 1962 β€œWorld events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.
Billy GrahamRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Emily Dickinson | QuoteProject