When I get older losing my hair many years from now. Will you still be sending me a Valentine. Birthday greetings, bottle of wine? If I'd been out till quarter to three would you lock the door? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm sixty-four?
Pools of sorrow. Waves of joy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the duality of emotions in life, highlighting that sorrow and joy coexist.
John Lennon's quote, 'Pools of sorrow. Waves of joy.' succinctly encapsulates the complex nature of human emotions. It suggests that life is an intricate tapestry where moments of sadness are contrasted by bursts of happiness, reminding us that both experiences are vital and interconnected. The imagery evokes a sense of flow, emphasizing that just as sorrow can be overwhelming like a still pool, joy can come crashing in like waves, creating a dynamic and ever-changing emotional landscape.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming challenges, one might say, 'Remember, pools of sorrow can turn into waves of joy if we embrace change.'
More from John Lennon
All quotes βThe writing of the Beatles, or John and Paul's contribution to the Beatles in the late sixties - had a kind of depth to it, a more mature, more intellectual approach. We were different people, we were older. We knew each other in all kinds of different ways than when we wrote together as teenagers and in our older twenties.
I put things down on sheets of paper and stuff them in my pockets. When I have enough, I have a book.
Guilt for being rich, and guilt thinking that perhaps love and peace isn't enough and you have to go and get shot or something.
I regret profoundly that I was not an American and not born in Greenwich Village. It might be dying, and there might be a lot of dirt in the air you breathe, but this is where it's happening.
I've been baking bread and looking after the baby...Everyone else who has asked me that question over the last few years says. 'But what else have you been doing?' To which I say, 'Are you kidding?' Because bread and babies, as every housewife knows, is a full-time job. After I made the loaves [of bread,] I felt like I had conquered something. But as I watched the bread being eaten, I thought, Well, Jesus, don't I get a gold record or knighted or nothing?
Similar quotes
Because in a split second, it's gone.
So you mustn't be frightened, dear Mr. Kappus, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety - like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in the palm of its hand and will not let you fall.
It is astonishing how much more people are interested in lengthening life than improving it.
Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.
we drove on and on, past little villages and both good things and bad things were happening to the people in those villages too, but I still was nothing but arms and ears and eyes and maybe there'd be either some good luck for me or more death tomorrow.
I gave myself the small task of writing honestly about the kind of life I knew. I believe there is some value in carrying out that task, however limited.