...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.
Sylvia PlathRead
Life has been some combination of fairy-tale coincidence and joie de vivre and shocks of beauty together with some hurtful self-questioning.
Interpretation
Life is a blend of joyful experiences and challenging self-reflection.
In this quote, Sylvia Plath encapsulates the essence of life as a mixture of enchanting moments and profound beauty intertwined with periods of self-doubt and questioning. She suggests that our existence is not just about the fairy-tale moments but also includes the struggles that shape our understanding and appreciation of beauty in the world.
In practice
In a graduation speech to highlight the duality of life experiences.
...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.
The hardest thing, I think, is to live richly in the present, without letting it be tainted & spoiled out of fear for the future or regret for a badly-managed past.
It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative--which ever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.
You walked in, laughing, tears welling confused, mingling in your throat. How can you be so many women to so many people, oh you strange girl?
I keep wanting to crawl back into the womb.
It's the living, the eating, the sleeping that everyone needs. Ideas don't matter so much after all. My three best friends are Catholic. I can't see their beliefs, but I can see the things they love to do on earth. When you come right down to it, I do believe in the freedom of the individual.
Sleep has no place it can call its own.
I live in solitude. I have need of solitude to do the next day's work. I can't be to parties where the noise tires me. I can't speak on the telephone. I must have complete calm.
Looking forward into an empty year strikes one with a certain awe, because one finds therein no recognition. The years behind have a friendly aspect, and they are warmed by the fires we have kindled, and all their echoes are the echoes of our own voices.
Becoming yourself is really hard and confusing, and it's a process. It's often not cool to be the person who puts themselves out there.
I'm very serious about no alcohol, no drugs. Life is too beautiful.
My days are in the yellow leaf; The flowers and fruits of love are gone; The worm, the canker, and the grief, Are mine alone!
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.