It is difficult to write a paradiso when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse.
Ezra PoundRead
Come, let us pity those who are better off than we are. Come, my friend, and remember that the rich have butlers and no friends, And we have friends and no butlers. (excerpt from 'The Garrett')
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the value of friendship over wealth, suggesting that true companionship is more meaningful than material possessions.
In this excerpt from 'The Garrett' by Ezra Pound, the poet highlights the often-overlooked truth that wealth can lead to isolation despite its comforts. By urging his friend to feel pity for the rich who, though surrounded by luxury and servants, lack genuine friendships, Pound emphasizes the significance of human connections over material success, suggesting that empathy and camaraderie are what truly enrich our lives.
Themes
FriendshipWealthCompanionshipEmpathyHuman Connection
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the importance of relationships over material wealth.
More from Ezra Pound
All quotes →The ant's a centaur in his dragon world. Pull down thy vanity, it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down. Learn of the green world what can be thy place In scaled invention or true artistry, Pull down thy vanity, Paquin pull down! The green casque has outdone your elegance.
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I desired my dust to be mingled with yours Forever and forever and forever.
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Literature does not exist in a vacuum. Writers as such have a definite social function exactly proportional to their ability as writers. This is their main use.
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In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.
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The modern artist must live by craft and violence. His gods are violent gods. Those artists, so called, whose work does not show this strife, are uninteresting.
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The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.
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