Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
Divinity must live within herself: Passions of rain, or moods in the falling snow; Grievings in loneliness, or unsubdued Elations when the forest blooms; gusty Emotions on wet roads on autumn nights; All pleasures and all pains, remembering The boughs of summer and the winter branch. These are the measures destined for her soul.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the internal experiences and emotions inherent in the human soul and the connection between nature and our feelings.
Wallace Stevens' quote emphasizes the idea that true divinity and depth of experience must arise from within oneself. It suggests that a person's inner life is shaped by their emotions, experiences, and their interaction with the natural world around them. The imagery of rain, snow, loneliness, and joy captures the complexity of human emotion, illustrating that both pleasure and pain are essential to the richness of the soul's journey. Thus, our personal experiences and emotions are not just external influences, but integral measures of our inner essence.
Themes
DivinityEmotionsNatureExperienceSoulComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote at a poetry reading to highlight the connection between nature and human emotions.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes →Most modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
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After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
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Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
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LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
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Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
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