Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.
Madeline MillerRead
I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away from me, giddy with freedom. This, and this, and this, I said to him. I did not have to fear that I spoke too much. I did not have to worry that I was too slender, or too slow. This and this and this! I taught him how to skip stones, and he taught me how to carve wood. I could feel every nerve in my body, every brush of air against my skin.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the joy and exhilaration of experiencing freedom and connection with another person.
In this quote, Madeline Miller captures the essence of unrestrained joy and the beauty of authentic connection with another person. The vivid imagery of grinning until it hurts and the sensation of every nerve in the body being alive reflects a moment of blissful freedom and self-acceptance. It suggests that true happiness comes from being present and fully engaged in experiences with others, free from societal judgments or personal insecurities.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech about living life to the fullest.
Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.
We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.
When I first started studying Greek, one of my absolute favorite parts was realizing that so many English words had these old, secret roots. Learning Greek was like being given a super-power: linguistic x-ray vision.
I stopped watching for ridicule, the scorpion's tail hidden in his words. He said what he meant; he was puzzled if you did not. Some people might have mistaken this for simplicity. But is it not a sort of genius to cut always to the heart?
Chiron had said once that nations were the most foolish of mortal inventions. "No man is worth more than another, wherever he is from.
Life is about having a good time, and it was a good time. We did some things well and some things poorly, but that was always the case.
Life isn't happily ever after... It's work. The person you love is rarely worthy of how big your love is. Because no one is worthy of that and maybe no one deserves that burden of it, either. You'll be let down. You'll be disappointed and have your trust broken and have a lot of real sucky days. You lose more than you win. You hate the person you love as much as you love him. But you roll up your sleeves and work - at everything - because that's what growing older is.
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you again.
...We can work it out. Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.
The great object of life is Sensation - to feel that we exist - even though in pain - it is this "craving void" which drives us to gaming - to battle - to travel - to intemperate but keenly felt pursuits of every description whose principal attraction is the agitation inseparable from their accomplishment.
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