Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
The present flowed by them like a stream. The tree rustled. It had made music before they were born, and would continue after their deaths, but its song was of the moment. The moment had passed. The tree rustled again. Their senses were sharpened, and they seemed to apprehend life. Life passed. The tree rustled again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transience of life and the perpetual presence of nature.
E. M. Forster's quote explores the flowing nature of time and existence, emphasizing that while life is fleeting, the natural world continues to exist beyond human life. The sensory experience of the present moment, represented by the rustling tree, serves as a reminder to appreciate the here and now, even as time swiftly passes by.
Themes
TimeNatureLifeMomentTransience
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation session, you might use this quote to remind participants to focus on the present.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes βA poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. ForsterRead
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. ForsterRead
Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
E. M. ForsterRead
The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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