Every real thought on every real subject knocks the wind out of somebody or other.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
We call those poets who are first to mark, Through earth's dull mist the coming of the dawn, Who see in twilight's gloom the first pale spark, While others only note that day is gone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote celebrates poets as visionaries who perceive beauty and potential where others see only darkness.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. describes poets as individuals with the unique ability to anticipate and recognize beauty and meaning in the world, even when others are blind to it. By illustrating the contrast between those who can see the dawn breaking through the mist and those who merely acknowledge the end of the day, he emphasizes the poets' role in bringing hope and inspiration through their art. Poets shine a light in times of metaphorical darkness, helping others to see and appreciate the beauty of the world at its most subtle moments.
Themes
PoetryArtPerceptionHopeInspirationBeauty
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity, one might quote this to emphasize the artist's role in society.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
All quotes →The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Don't you stay at home of evenings? Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?
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Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.
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Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery.
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Do not be bullied out of your common sense by the specialist; two to one, he is a pedant.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
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