Two such as you with such a master speed, cannot be parted nor be swept away, from one another once you are agreed, that life is only life forevermore, together wing to wing and oar to oar.
Robert FrostRead
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree~ And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more, But dipped its top and set me down again. That would be good both going and coming back. One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for freedom and the joy of returning to childhood innocence.
In this quote, Robert Frost reflects on the simple joys of life and the nostalgic yearning for carefree moments. Climbing a birch tree symbolizes a desire to escape the burdens of adult responsibilities and to reconnect with the playful spirit of childhood. The imagery of climbing towards heaven suggests a pursuit of dreams and aspirations, while the idea of being a 'swinger of birches' emphasizes the importance of balance in life—between striving for higher ideals and appreciating the beauty of returning to one's roots.
Themes
Birch TreeFreedomNostalgiaChildhoodBalance
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to inspire students about the importance of cherishing their roots while pursuing their dreams.
More from Robert Frost
All quotes →You have freedom when you're easy in your harness.
Robert FrostRead
God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden
Robert FrostRead
'Warm in December, cold in June, you say?' _x000D_ _x000D_ I don't suppose the water's changed at all. _x000D_ _x000D_ You and I know enough to know it's warm _x000D_ _x000D_ Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm. _x000D_ _x000D_ But all the fun's in how you say a thing.
Robert FrostRead
For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It will turn true again, for so it goes.
Robert FrostRead
The question that he frames in all but words is what to make of a diminished thing.
Robert FrostRead
Similar quotes
Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
There are all sorts of losses people suffer - from the small to the large. You can lose your keys, your glasses, your virginity. You can lose your head, you can lose your heart, you can lose your mind. You can relinquish your home to move into assisted living, or have a child move overseas, or see a spouse vanish into dementia. Loss is more than just death, and grief is the gray shape-shifter of emotion.
Jodi PicoultRead
Childhood was terrifying for me. A kid has no control. You're three feet tall, flat broke, unemployed, and illiterate. Terror snaps you awake. You pay keen attention. People can just pick you up and move you and put you down.
Mary KarrRead
When a woman conceives her true self, a miracle occurs and life around her begins again.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
Pain or love or danger makes you real again.
Jack KerouacRead
That was a wonderful period in my life. I mean, I didn't become an artist, but somebody let me do something I loved. What a luxury, to do something you love to do.
Amy TanRead