Time takes life away_x000D_ and gives us memory, gold with flame,_x000D_ black with embers.
I drink from a small spring, / my thirst excedes the ocean.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote speaks to the idea that human desires and aspirations can far exceed what is readily available or tangible.
Adam Zagajewski's quote suggests that despite having access to seemingly vast amounts of resources or experiences, the depth of human longing and intellect can be boundless and profound. The imagery of drinking from a small spring while having thirst that exceeds the ocean emphasizes the contrast between the limited resources we often encounter and the infinite desires that reside within us. It reflects on the nature of human aspirations, which can never be fully quenched, highlighting the infinite pursuit of knowledge, beauty, and fulfillment.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about pursuing dreams, someone might quote this to emphasize that our ambitions can outstrip our current situations.
More from Adam Zagajewski
All quotes βHuman life and objects and trees vibrate with mysterious meanings, which can be deciphered like cuneiform writing. There exists a meaning, hidden from day to day, but accessible in moments of greatest attentiveness, in those moments when consciousness loves the world.
Similar quotes
Memories I had locked away have begun to break free, like shards of ice fracturing off an arctic shelf. In sleep, these broken floes drift toward the morning light of remembrance.
I laugh, for hope hath a happy place with me; If my boat sinks, 'tis to another sea.
He is not to pass for a man of reason who stumbles upon reason by chance but he who knows it and can judge it and has a true taste for it.
Your state of mind is everything.
I am a patient listener, but opinionated to the point of stubbornness when my mind is made up.
I dream of lost vocabularies that might express some of what we no longer can.