But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
Lord ByronRead
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the inevitability of death and the finality it brings to life.
In this quote, Lord Byron personifies death as an angelic figure that spreads its wings and instills fear in those who are alive. It captures the chilling moment when death approaches, causing the living to confront their mortality, and highlights how the presence of death can suddenly still the hearts of the living, marking the end of life.
Themes
DeathMortalityFinalityFearPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a eulogy to emphasize the inevitability and seriousness of death.
More from Lord Byron
All quotes →It is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
Lord ByronRead
For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
Lord ByronRead
Absence - that common cure of love.
Lord ByronRead
Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
Lord ByronRead
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
Lord ByronRead
Similar quotes
The world as pure object is something that is not there. It is not a reality outside us for which we exist....It is a living and self-creating mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself, my own unique door.
Thomas MertonRead
In a media culture, we not only judge strangers by how they look but by the images of how they look. So we want attractive pictures of our heroes and repulsive images of our enemies.
Virginia PostrelRead
We humans are really good at forming groups to compete, and then dissolving the groups and reforming them along different lines to compete in a different way.
Jonathan HaidtRead
The human soul, provided it is pure and strong enough, can contact the unseen in waking life as well as in dreams: all that is required is withdrawal of the soul from the tumult of sensory life.
Seyyed Hossein NasrRead
Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.
Oswald ChambersRead
Without going outside, you may know the whole world, without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. Thus the sage knows without traveling; he sees without looking; he works without doing.
LaoziRead