Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
in the presence of extraordinary actuality, consciousness takes the place of imagination.
Interpretation
What this quote means
When faced with remarkable experiences, our awareness and understanding replace mere fantasy.
Wallace Stevens suggests that in moments of profound truth or reality, our consciousness becomes more significant than imagination. This implies that extraordinary experiences can reshape our perception and understanding of the world, allowing us to engage with reality in a more meaningful way than simple imaginative thoughts can provide.
Themes
ConsciousnessImaginationExperienceRealityTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of art on perception, this quote can highlight the power of real experiences.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes βMost modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
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After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
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Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
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LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
Wallace StevensRead
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
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Personally, I always wondered about authors and celebrities who loudly declared there was no God. It was usually when they were healthy and popular and being listened to by crowds. What happens, I wondered, in the quiet moments before death? By then, they have lost the stage, the world has moved on. If suddenly, in their last gasping moments, through fear, a vision, a late enlightenment, they change their minds about God, who would know?
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Before me, even as behind, God is, and all is well.
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I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I'm not sure I like it enough.
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