I lived with the terrible knowledge that one day I would be an old man still waiting for my real life to start. Already, I pitied that old man.
Pat ConroyRead
The rosy hearth, the lamplight's narrow beam, The meditation that is rather dream, With looks that lose themselves in cherished looks; The hour of steaming tea and banished books; The sweetness of the evening at an end, The dear fatigue, and right to rest attained, And worshipped expectation of the night,— Oh, all these things, in unrelenting flight, My dream pursues through all the vain delays, Impatient of the weeks, mad at the days!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the fleeting nature of pleasant moments and the yearning for rest and contentment in life.
Paul Verlaine's quote captures a nostalgic sentiment about the simple joys and comforts in life, such as enjoying evening tea and the warmth of cherished moments. It emphasizes the inevitable passage of time and how our dreams and expectations often make us restless as we yearn for those peaceful instants, feeling frustrated with delays that keep us from experiencing rest and fulfillment.
Themes
TimeDreamsNostalgiaRestContentment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about appreciating life's simple moments during a family gathering.
Similar quotes
Women piece together their lives from the scraps left over for them.
Terry Tempest WilliamsRead
I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck: the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others; made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.
Paul NewmanRead
No one to blame! That was why most people led lives they hated, with people they hated. How wonderful to have someone to blame! How wonderful to live with one's nemesis! You may be miserable, but you feel forever in the right. You may be fragmented, but you feel absolved of all the blame for it. Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.
Erica JongRead
Know what we did, Lucy? You and me? We spent our whole lives yearning. Isn't that the God damndest thing?
Richard YatesRead
No one asked me to be an actor, so no one owed me. There was no entitlement.
James Earl JonesRead