A studio, like a poem, is an intimacy and a freedom you can look out from, into each part of your life and a little beyond.
Jane HirshfieldRead
There is a door. It opens. Then it is closed. But a slip of light stays, like a scrap of unreadable paper left on the floor, or the one red leaf the snow releases in March
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life presents temporary opportunities, leaving behind small remnants of what once was.
This quote reflects on the transient nature of experiences and opportunities in life. When a door opens, it allows for possibilities and experiences to occur, but just as quickly, it can close, leaving behind only faint traces, like 'a slip of light' or 'a scrap of unreadable paper.' These remnants symbolize memories or insights that linger long after the opportunities have passed, reminding us that even ephemeral moments can leave a lasting impact.
Themes
OpportunityChangeTransienceMemoriesPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to reflect on the fleeting nature of school memories.
More from Jane Hirshfield
All quotes →What we want from art is whatever is missing from the lives we are already living and making. Something is always missing, and so art-making is endless.
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as some strings, untouched, sound when no one is speaking. So it was when love slipped inside us.
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Tree It is foolish to let a young redwood grow next to a house. Even in this one lifetime, you will have to choose. That great calm being, this clutter of soup pots and books-- Already the first branch-tips brush at the window. Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
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I write because to write a new sentence, let alone a new poem, is to cross the threshold into both a larger existence and a profound mystery. A thought was not there, then it is. An image, a story, an idea about what it is to be human, did not exist, then it does. With every new poem, an emotion new to the heart, to the world, speaks itself into being.
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Zen pretty much comes down to three things -- everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention.
Jane HirshfieldRead
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