Poetry is a street fighter. It has sharp elbows. It can look after itself. Poetry can't be used for manipulation; it's why you never see good poetry in advertising.
David WhyteRead
Regret is a short, evocative and achingly beautiful word: an elegy to lost possibilities even in its brief annunciation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Regret captures the essence of missed opportunities and the beauty in reflecting on loss.
In this quote, David Whyte eloquently conveys that regret, despite being a brief word, embodies deep emotion and poignancy. It serves as a reminder of the possibilities that were never realized and invites us to reflect on the beauty found in both lost chances and the feelings that accompany them.
Themes
RegretPossibilitiesLossBeautyReflection
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a speech about the importance of seizing opportunities.
More from David Whyte
All quotes βPoetry is often the art of overhearing yourself say things you didn't know you knew. It is a learned skill to force yourself to articulate your life, your present world or your possibilities for the future.
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By definition, poetry works with qualities and dynamics that mainstream society is reluctant to face head-on. It's an interesting phenomenon that by necessity, poetry is just below the radar.
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The price of our vitality is the sum of all our fears
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The severest test of work today, is not of our strategies, but of our imaginations and identities.
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We learn, grow and become compassionate and generous as much through exile as homecoming, as much through loss as gain, as much through giving things away as in receiving what we believe to be our due.
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