Don't just live the length of your life - live the width of it as well.
Diane AckermanRead
A flower's fragrance declares to all the world that it is fertile, available, and desirable, its sex organs oozing with nectar. Its smell reminds us in vestigial ways of fertility, vigor, life-force, all the optimism, expectancy, and passionate bloom of youth. We inhale its ardent aroma and, no matter what our ages, we feel young and nubile in a world aflame with desire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The fragrance of flowers symbolizes fertility and evokes feelings of youth and desire.
Diane Ackerman's quote highlights how the scent of flowers not only signifies their fertility and availability but also serves as a profound reminder of life's vigor and the youthful passions we all carry within us. The aroma of flowers transcends age, allowing everyone to connect with feelings of vitality and desire, enriching our experiences in a world filled with beauty and longing.
Themes
FlowerFragranceFertilityYouthDesireLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about nature's beauty, one could cite this quote to emphasize the impact of flowers on human emotions.
More from Diane Ackerman
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We ogle plants and animals up close on television, the Internet and in the movies. We may not worship the animals we see, but we still regard them as necessary physical and spiritual companions. Technological nature can't completely satisfy that yearning.
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Because IQ tests favor memory skills and logic, overlooking artistic creativity, insight, resiliency, emotional reserves, sensory gifts, and life experience, they can't really predict success, let alone satisfaction.
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American writer_x000D_ _x000D_ 1803-1882_x000D_ _x000D_ Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.
Diane AckermanRead
In rare moments of deep play, we can lay aside our sense of self, shed time's continuum, ignore pain, and sit quietly in the absolute present, watching the world's ordinary miracles. No mind or heart hobbles. No analyzing or explaining. No questing for logic. No promises. No goals. No relationships. No worry. One is completely open to whatever drama may unfold.
Diane AckermanRead
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