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
History, mythology, and folktales are filled with stories of people punished for saying the truth. Only the Fool, exempt from society's rules, is allowed to speak with complete freedom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how truth-tellers often face consequences, while a Fool can express truths freely.
Jane Hirshfield's quote reflects the tension between societal norms and the expression of truth. In many cultures, those who speak the truth can be marginalized or punished, whereas the character of the Fool sits outside these societal constraints, allowing them to voice candid observations without fear of repercussion. This dynamic reveals the complexities of honesty in human interactions and the courage required to confront uncomfortable truths.
Themes
TruthFreedomFoolSocietyWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of speaking out against injustice.
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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.
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