Music fills the infinite between two souls. This has been muffled by the mist of our daily habits.
Rabindranath TagoreRead
The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote contrasts the nature of small wisdom with great wisdom, emphasizing clarity versus complexity.
Rabindranath Tagore uses the metaphor of water to illustrate the difference between small wisdom and great wisdom. Small wisdom is accessible and easily understood, like water in a glass, while great wisdom is profound and often elusive, like the vast, deep sea. This distinction highlights that while small truths can be clear and straightforward, deeper wisdom encompasses more complexity and mystery.
Themes
WisdomKnowledgeUnderstandingLifeMystery
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about lifelong learning, one might refer to this quote to illustrate the journey of acquiring wisdom.
More from Rabindranath Tagore
All quotes βTrue deliverance of man is the deliverance from Avidya i.e. ignorance. It is not in destroying anything that is positive and real, for that cannot be possible, but that which is negative, which obstructs our vision of truth.
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The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
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If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
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To be outspoken is easy when you do not wait to speak the complete truth.
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Bees sip honey from flowers and hum their thanks when they leave. The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.
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