He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone. -from The Dragon Reborn. By Loial, son of Arent son of Halan, the Fourth Age.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the transient nature of existence and the impact one can have on their surroundings, even if they are only present for a short time.
The quote describes a character whose arrival and departure are as fleeting and impactful as the wind. It suggests that, like the wind, a person's presence can affect all they touch, leaving an imprint on the world around them, yet they may be just as ephemeral, reminding us of the importance of appreciating moments and the influence we can have, even if briefly.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of cherishing moments and relationships.
Fantasy is an area where it is possible to talk about right and wrong, good and evil, with a straight face. In mainstream fiction and even in a good deal of mystery, these things are presented as simply two sides of the same coin. Never really more than a matter of where you happen to be standing.
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
Til shade is gone, til water is gone Into the shadow with teeth bared Screaming defiance with the last breath To spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the Last Day.
The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.
Duty is heavier than a mountain, Dai Shan.' That time, Lan did flinch. How long had it been since someone had been able to do that to him with mere words? He remembered teaching that same concept to a youth out of the Two Rivers. A sheepherder, innocent of the world, fearful of the fate laid out before him by the Pattern.
Moiraine: It seems Ryne was wrong as well as a Darkfriend. You were better than he. Lan: He was better. But he thought I was finished, with only one arm. He never understood. You surrender after you're dead.
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
I act as the tongue of you, ... tied in your mouth . . . . in mine it begins to be loosened.
The bombs in Vietnam explode at home; they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America.
It is serving God and others persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of truth into unbreakable spiritual strength.
I didn’t want any flowers, I only wanted to lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty. How free it is, you have no idea how free.
We with our lives are like islands in the sea, or like trees in the forest... But the trees also commingle their roots in the darkness underground.
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