When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.
Stephen CraneRead
Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments.
Interpretation
Awakening often occurs in the simplest and quietest moments of life.
This quote by Stephen Crane suggests that significant realizations or moments of clarity can occur during times of calm and introspection, rather than in the chaos of life. It emphasizes the idea that one should appreciate and be mindful of quiet moments, as they can lead to profound insights and understanding.
In practice
During a meditation session, I reflected on Crane's quote to emphasize the value of stillness.
When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.
I saw a man pursuing the horizon
Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within.
Tell her this And more,β That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. The bustling fates Heap his hands with corpses Until he stands like a child With surplus of toys.
Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.
A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dinghy one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dinghy.
True salvation is freedom from negativity, and above all from past and future as a psychological need.
If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.
Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give.
To return to the books of my childhood is to yield to the strain of nostalgia that is curious about the self I once was.
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
But this wealth of information produced little or no insight.
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