Time is so old and love so brief, love is pure gold and time a thief. We're late, darling, we're late, The curtain descends, everything ends, too soon, too soon.
Ogden NashRead
People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who haven't what they want that they don't want it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the ironic tendency of those who have attained their desires to dismiss the aspirations of others.
Ogden Nash's quote reflects the condescending attitude often exhibited by individuals who have achieved their goals towards those who are still striving for their own. It suggests that people may downplay the hopes and dreams of others simply because they themselves have succeeded, implying that those who have not yet achieved their desires simply do not want them enough. This serves as a critique of the lack of empathy among the successful towards those who are still navigating their paths.
Themes
DesireSuccessEmpathyAspirationContentment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about chasing dreams, this quote can remind the audience to be understanding and supportive of others' journeys.
More from Ogden Nash
All quotes βI'm like a backward berry, Unripened on the vine, For all my friends are fifty, And I'm only forty-nine.
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I do not like to get the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.
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Middle-age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you.
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Here's a toast to the roast that good fellowship lends, with the sparkle of beer and wine; May its sentiment always be deeper, my friends, than the foam at the top of the stein. Then here's to the heartening wassail, wherever good fellows are found; Be its master instead of its vassal, and order the glasses around.
Ogden NashRead
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