Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
The center that I cannot find is known to my unconscious mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote implies that there are aspects of ourselves and our thoughts that we may not be consciously aware of but are known at a deeper, subconscious level.
W. H. Auden's quote suggests that while we may struggle to understand our own motivations and feelings consciously, our unconscious mind holds knowledge that is often elusive to our waking thoughts. It highlights the complexity of human consciousness and the hidden depths of our psyche that influence our actions and decisions without our direct awareness.
Themes
UnconsciousMindSelf-DiscoveryPsychologyAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about psychological awareness and self-exploration during a therapy session.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes βThat the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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