...the routine of life goes on, whatever happens, we do the same things, go through the little performance of eating, sleeping, washing. No crisis can break through the crust of habit.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
We are all ghosts of yesterday, and the phantom of tomorrow awaits us alike in sunshine or in shadow, dimly perceived at times, never entirely lost.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transient nature of life, suggesting that our past and future shape our existence.
Daphne Du Maurier's quote speaks to the idea that we are shaped by our past experiences and that our future is an uncertain, almost ghostly presence that influences our current state. It suggests that while the echoes of our past linger with us, the future is always just out of reach, presenting both hope and ambiguity regardless of our circumstances. The imagery of sunshine and shadow signifies the dual nature of human experience, where hope and fear coexist.
Themes
GhostsYesterdayTomorrowLifePerceptionExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of learning from the past, one might quote this to illustrate how our histories influence our journeys.
More from Daphne Du Maurier
All quotes βhere was a silence between them for a moment, and she wondered if all women, when in love, were torn between two impulses, a longing to throw modesty and reserve to the winds and confess everything, and an equal determination to conceal the love forever, to be cool, aloof, utterly detached, to die rather than admit a thing so personal, so intimate.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
She had to live in this bright, red gabled house with the nurse until it was time for her to die... I thought how little we know about the feelings of old people. Children we understand, their fears and hopes and make-believe.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
How pleasant,' Dona said, peeling her fruit; 'the rest of us can only run away from time to time, and however much we pretend to be free, we know it is only for a little while - our hands and our feet are tied.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
A familiar name on its own, however, does not carry its bearer far unless the talent is there, and the will to work.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
Here was the freedom I desired, long sought-for, not yet known Freedom to write, to walk, to wander, freedom to climb hills, to pull a boat, to be alone.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
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When you look at it that way, you can see how absurd it is that we individualize ourselves with our fences and hoarded possessions.
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It is the duty of the saints, especially in times of straights, to reflect upon the performances of Providence for them in all the states and through all the stages of their lives.
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