There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Shall I part my hair behind Do I dare to eat a peach I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the nature of existence and the quest for beauty amidst uncertainty.
In this quote, T. S. Eliot expresses a sense of hesitation and self-doubt in the face of life's complexities. The imagery of mundane choices, like parting hair or wearing flannel trousers, juxtaposed with the enchanting idea of mermaids singing, suggests a longing for something transcendent yet unattainable. This duality encapsulates the human experience of aspiration and the often painful realization of one's perceived limitations.
Themes
ExistenceBeautyDoubtAspirationMermaids
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the challenges of pursuing dreams, one might quote this to emphasize the complexity of human aspirations.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
T. S. EliotRead
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
Similar quotes
"Faith" as an imperative is a veto against science-in praxi, it means lies at any price.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Miracles occur all around us, signs from God show us the way, angels plead to be heard, but we pay little attention to them.
Paulo CoelhoRead
You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.
James HillmanRead
Not all thinking and all emotion are of the ego. They turn into ego only when you identify with them and they take you over completely, that is to say, when they become "I".
Eckhart TolleRead
Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.
Ayn RandRead
What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have to say, 'Oh, what this really is is so-and-so,' reducing it to a simple formula.
Doris LessingRead