It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
This is what youth must figure out: Girls, love, and living. The having, the not having, The spending and giving, And the meloncholy time of not knowing. This is what age must learn about: The ABC of dying. The going, yet not going, The loving and leaving, And the unbearable knowing and knowing
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the experiences and lessons of youth and age, emphasizing the complexities of love and the inevitability of death.
E. B. White's quote observes the dual journeys of youth and age, where young people grapple with love and the uncertainties of life, while older individuals confront the reality of mortality. It highlights the contrast between the vibrant exploration of life's relationships and the sober acceptance of its transience, presenting a poetic view of what it means to live and to die.
Themes
YouthLoveLifeMortalityExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech to inspire students about the journey ahead.
More from E. B. White
All quotes →It isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
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The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
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A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
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A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
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All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
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A breath of steam trickles out, filled with the sobs of a grown woman breaking into girl-sized pieces.
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