He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the future. The continuity of being is lacerated; the settled course of sentiment and action is stopped; and life stands suspended and motionless.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the profound loss and grief experienced when a long-loved partner passes away, emphasizing the deep connection shared between them.
Samuel Johnson's quote delves into the emotional turmoil faced by a person who has lost a partner after many years of love and companionship. It highlights how such a loss disrupts the continuity of life, halting personal growth and reflection. The deep bond shared with a spouse encompasses shared hopes, fears, and experiences, making their absence feel like a severance from one's own identity and future aspirations. This deep emotional disconnection creates a sense of paralysis in one's life, as if time itself has come to a standstill without the presence of the loved one.
In practice
In a eulogy for a spouse, one might use this quote to illustrate the depth of their bond and the impact of their absence.
To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.
Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
When any anxiety or gloom of the mind takes hold of you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaining; but exert yourselves to hide it, and by endeavoring to hide it you drive it away.
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
Refecting on the high divorce rate in America as contrasted with England "American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers
Cutting pain was a different flavor of hurt. It made it easier not to think about having my body and my family and my life stolen, made it easier not to care... -Wintergirls
Wherever you find a great man, you will find a great mother or a great wife standing behind him -- or so they used to say. It would be interesting to know how many great women have had great fathers and husbands behind them.
Since hate poisons the soul, don't cherish enmities or grudges: avoid people who make you unhappy.
When you listen to other women's stories you begin to understand your own better and you begin to find ways back through and with each other.
The worst times were the years I was alone. The image to the public entering the courtroom was eight men, of a certain size, and then this little woman sitting to the side. That was not a good image for the public to see.
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