We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Rudyard KiplingRead
He will kill mice and he will be kind to babies...but when the moon gets up and the night comes, he is the Cat that Walks by Himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates the dichotomy of nature; one can be both nurturing and independent.
Rudyard Kipling's quote reflects on the complexity of character, suggesting that while individuals may exhibit kindness and gentleness in their interactions with others, they also possess an inherent independence and freedom that sets them apart. The 'Cat that Walks by Himself' symbolizes a being that is both capable of affection and commitment but ultimately chooses to embrace its solitude and self-reliance, highlighting the duality of human and animal nature.
Themes
IndependenceNatureCharacterKindnessSolitude
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in discussions about personal identity at a philosophical seminar.
More from Rudyard Kipling
All quotes βHumble because of knowledge; mighty by sacrifice.
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Hear and attend and listen; for this is what befell and be-happened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild -as wild as wild could be - and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him
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I keep six honest serving men.
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And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
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Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
Rudyard KiplingRead
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