Reading a poem in translation is like kissing a woman through a veil.
Anne MichaelsRead
Once I was lost in a forest. I was so afraid. My blood pounded in my chest and I knew my heart's strength would soon be exhausted. I saved myself without thinking. I grasped the two syllables closest to me, and replaced my heartbeat with your name.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote speaks about finding strength and comfort in love during times of fear and uncertainty.
In this quote, Anne Michaels conveys the profound impact that love can have on us when we are faced with fear and panic. The imagery of being lost in a forest symbolizes moments of confusion and desperation, while the act of grasping the name of a loved one illustrates how our connections can provide solace and strength, turning fear into courage. It emphasizes the idea that love can be a source of resilience, helping us to navigate through life's challenges.
Themes
LoveStrengthCourageFearComfort
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming fear and anxiety, this quote can illustrate the power of love.
More from Anne Michaels
All quotes →Hold a book in your hand and you're a pilgrim at the gates of a new city.
Anne MichaelsRead
When my parents were liberated, four years before I was born, they found that the ordinary world outside the camp had been eradicated. There was no more simple meal, no thing was less than extraordinary: a fork, a mattress, a clean shirt, a book. Not to mention such things that can make one weep: an orange, meat and vegetables, hot water. There was no ordinariness to return to, no refuge from the blinding potency of things, an apple screaming its sweet juice.
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If love wants you; if you've been melted down to stars, you will love with lungs and gills; with feathers and scales; with warm blood and cold.
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Long after you’ve forgotten someone’s voice, you can still remember the sound of their happiness or their sadness. You can feel it in your body.
Anne MichaelsRead
Love makes you see a place differently, just as you hold differently an object that belongs to someone you love. If you know one landscape well, you will look at all other landscapes differently. And if you learn to love one place, sometimes you can also learn to love another.
Anne MichaelsRead
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