All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
I slide my arm from under the sleeper's head and it is numb, full of swarming pins, on the tip of each, waiting to be counted, the fallen angels sit.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the painful yet beautiful heaviness of love and connection.
Wislawa Szymborska's quote captures the sensation of moving from a state of intimacy and connection, represented by the 'sleeper', to an awareness of one's bodily experiences, symbolized by the 'numb' arm and 'swarming pins'. It metaphorically describes how moments of closeness can lead to a mix of discomfort and profound realization, akin to fallen angels that embody both beauty and sorrow.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the complexities of romantic relationships.
All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.
I started earning a living as a poet rather early on.
But they know about us, they know, the four corners, and the chairs nearby us. Discerning shadows also know, and even the table keeps quiet.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I've reached the age of self-knowledge, so I don't know anything. People who claim that they know something are responsible for most of the fuss in the world.
Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through.
Or about how when you're a child, to stop you from following the crowd you're assaulted with the line "If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?" but when you're an adult and to be different is suddenly a crime, people seem to be saying, "Hey. Everyone else is jumping off a bridge. Why aren't you?
Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it.
I mean it as a compliment when I say that you could almost define a philosopher as someone who won't take common sense for an answer.
William Carey chides his countrymen for deciding it would be impossible for the Gospel to travel over great distances and to penetrate varied cultures when they are willing to face the same trials for the sake of commerce.
Let there be nothing within thee that is not very beautiful and very gentle, and there will be nothing without thee that is not beautiful and softened by the spell of thy presence.
I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it. What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine β and before we know it our lives are gone.
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