O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Like a French poem is life; being only perfect in structure when with the masculine rhymes mingled the feminine are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life achieves perfection when there is a harmonious balance between contrasting elements.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's quote compares life to a French poem, suggesting that just as a poem is beautifully crafted through the blend of masculine and feminine rhymes, so too is life enriched through the diversity and balance of different elements. This balance is crucial for achieving a fuller, more nuanced experience in life, where contrasting ideas and qualities harmoniously coexist to create something profound and beautiful.
Themes
LifeBalanceHarmonyContrastPoem
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about life's complexities, this quote can highlight the importance of balance in diverse opinions.
More from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All quotes βThere are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
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