The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.
Miguel De CervantesRead
And thus being totally preoccupied, he rode so slowly that the sun was soon glowing with such intense heat that it would have melted his brains, if he'd had any.
Interpretation
The quote humorously illustrates how distraction can lead to unexpected consequences.
In this humorous observation by Cervantes, the character's preoccupation with his thoughts causes him to ride at a painfully slow pace, enabling the sun's heat to affect him in a whimsically exaggerated manner. This quote serves to highlight the folly of being so absorbed in one's own thoughts that one becomes oblivious to the world, leading to potentially ridiculous situations.
In practice
This quote could be used in a comedic speech to highlight the importance of being present.
The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.
Patience and shuffle the cards.
It's up to brave hearts, sir, to be patient when things are going badly, as well as being happy when they're going well ... For I've heard that what they call fortune is a flighty woman who drinks too much, and, what's more, she's blind, so she can't see what she's doing, and she doesn't know who she's knocking over or who she's raising up.
When the head aches, all the members partake of the pain.
Though Gods attributes are equal, yet his mercy is more attractive and pleasing in our eyes than his justice.
If you are ambitious of climbing up to the difficult, and in a manner inaccessible, summit of the Temple of Fame, your surest way is to leave on one hand the narrow path of Poetry, and follow the narrower track of Knight-Errantry, which in a trice may raise you to an imperial throne.
His argument is as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by oiling the shadow of a pigeon that had been starved to death.
I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.
KILT, n. A costume sometimes worn by Scotchmen in America and Americans in Scotland.
Tell the cook of this restaurant with my compliments that these are the very worst sandwiches in the whole world, and that, when I ask for a watercress sandwich, I do not mean a loaf with a field in the middle of it.
Playing golf is like chasing a quinine pill around a cow pasture.
I think we're losing our sense of humor instead of being able to relax and laugh at ourselves. I don't care whether it's ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, or whose ox is being gored.
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