I don't want a future, I want a present. To me this appears of greater value. You have a future only when you have no present, and when you have a present, you forget to even think about the future.
Robert WalserRead
How small life is here and how big nothingness. The sky, tired of light, has given everything to the snow. The two trees bow their heads to each other. Clouds cross the world’s silence in a circle dance
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the contrast between the smallness of life and the vastness of emptiness, emphasizing nature's beauty and interconnectedness.
In this poignant quote, Robert Walser explores the existential themes of life and nothingness, suggesting that while human existence may seem insignificant against the backdrop of the universe, there is beauty in the simplicity of nature. The imagery of the trees bowing and the clouds dancing evokes a sense of harmony and quietude, inviting reflection on the interconnectedness of all beings within the vast silence of existence.
Themes
ExistenceNatureNothingnessBeautyInterconnectedness
In practice
Example use cases
During a poetry reading about the beauty of nature.
More from Robert Walser
All quotes →I am not here [in the sanitarium] to write, but to be mad.
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The novel I am constantly writing is always the same one, and it might be described as a variously sliced-up or torn-apart book of myself.
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