We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
OvidRead
Sleep, rest of nature, O sleep, most gentle of the divinities, peace of the soul, thou at whose presence care disappears, who soothest hearts wearied with daily employments, and makest them strong again for labour!
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the healing and restorative power of sleep in the natural world.
Ovid's quote highlights the essential role of sleep as a restorative force in life. By personifying sleep as a divine entity, the quote suggests that it brings peace to the soul, alleviating daily stresses and recharging individuals for their activities. Sleep is portrayed not just as a biological necessity but as a sacred aspect of nature that rejuvenates the weary spirit and fortifies one for future endeavors.
In practice
In a discussion about work-life balance, one might quote Ovid to emphasize the importance of sleep for productivity.
We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
All things human hang by a slender thread; and that which seemed to stand strong suddenly falls and sinks in ruins.
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
Fas est ab hoste doceri._x000D_ One should learn even from one's enemies.
Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
The end doesn't justify the means.
I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.
Climate change respects no borders.
And suns grow meek, and the meek suns grow brief, and the year smiles as it draws near its death.
After the keen still days of September, the October sun filled the world with mellow warmth...The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her...In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.
Though not a natural world by any means, more like a collection of living dioramas, a zoo exists in its own time zone, somewhere between the seasonal sense of animals and our madly ticking watch time.
When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else's heart.
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