Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light.
Claude DebussyRead
Listen to no one's advice except that of the wind in the trees. That can recount the whole history of mankind.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of nature and intuition over human advice.
Claude Debussy suggests that the whispers of nature, symbolized by the wind in the trees, contain deeper truths and wisdom about humanity's past than the often flawed advice given by people. This reflection encourages individuals to connect with the natural world and trust their own insights rather than solely relying on external opinions.
In practice
During a nature retreat, one might share this quote to encourage others to reflect on their surroundings.
Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light.
The colour of my soul is iron-grey and sad bats wheel about the steeple of my dreams.
On those who overanalyze his music: When you tear the wings off a butterfly, it is no longer a butterfly
But music, don't you know, is a dream from which the veils have been lifted. It's not even the expression of a feeling, it's the feeling itself.
People come to music to seek oblivion: is that not also a form of deception?
Some people wish above all to conform to the rules, I wish only to render what I can hear.
Ignorance worships mystery; reason explains it; the one grovels, the other soars.
We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention.
My zoology thesis was a functional analysis of the thyroid gland of the three-toed sloth. I chose the sloth because its demeanour - calm, quiet and introspective - did something to soothe my shattered self.
Nobody ever thanks you for saving them from the disease they didn't know they were going to get.
We learned many years ago that the rich may have money, but the poor have time.
We notice that the mind is a restless bird; the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. The more we indulge our passions the more unbridled they become. Our ancestors, therefore, set a limit to our indulgences. They saw that happiness was largely a mental condition. A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor.... Millions will always remain poor.
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