It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all.
William JamesRead
Hearing the sound of your breathing as you sleep,_x000D_ with the dog at your feet, his head resting_x000D_ on a shoe, and the clock's ticking_x000D_ like water dripping in a sink - I know that, even if reincarnation were a fact,_x000D_ given the inherent cruelty of the world_x000D_ where beautiful things and people_x000D_ are blasted apart all the day long,_x000D_ I would never want to come back, knowing_x000D_ I could never be this lucky twice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects a moment of appreciation for the simple, beautiful aspects of life, emphasizing the rarity of such happiness.
In this quote, Bruce Dawe captures a serene moment filled with tranquility, symbolized by the simple acts of breathing, companionship with a pet, and the comforting sounds of a home. He expresses a profound appreciation for these fleeting moments of beauty amidst the chaos and cruelty of the world, suggesting that such experiences are uniquely precious and irreplaceable, leading him to conclude that reincarnation would not hold the same value for him as this current life.
Themes
AppreciationHappinessBeautyLifeTranquility
In practice
Example use cases
A reflective speech at a dinner gathering about valuing life's simple pleasures.
Similar quotes
I don't ask anyone else to live my life. I have enough trouble doing that.
Hillary ClintonRead
In order to live the life we desire, and set the intention for greater happiness and more meaningful connections with others, we have to release the hold that our past has on us
Deepak ChopraRead
If you were to go, and hopefully someday you will, you would see a lot of paintings of dead people. You'd see Jesus on the cross, and you'd see a dude get stabbed in the neck, and you'd see people dying at sea and in battle and a parade of martyrs. But Not. One. Single. Cancer. Kid. Nobody biting it from the plague or smallpox or yellow fever or whatever, because there is no glory in illness. There is no meaning to it. There is no honor in dying of.
John GreenRead
As soon as a man recognizes that he has drifted into age, he gets reminiscent. He wants to talk and talk; and not about the present or the future, but about his old times. For there is where the pathos of his life lies - and the charm of it. The pathos of it is there because it was opulent with treasures that are gone, and the charm of it is in casting them up from the musty ledgers and remembering how rich and gracious they were.
Mark TwainRead
When I first went up to see my editor, I was with my agent, and my editor said, 'Well, what have you been doing all these years?' And my agent said, 'He's been in recovery. From his childhood.'
Frank MccourtRead