Who do I belong to? How come I mortgaged my being till I don't belong to myself? How come I sold my blood? And who now owns my indecisions, my hands, my private pain, my pride?
Interpretation
The quote explores themes of identity, ownership, and personal sacrifice, questioning one's autonomy and sense of belonging.
Pablo Neruda's quote delves into the profound and often painful experience of losing oneself in the quest for acceptance and love. It raises existential questions about identity, ownership of oneβs choices, and the toll of surrendering oneβs essence to others, highlighting the struggle between personal desires and external expectations.
In practice
A speaker at a mental health awareness event might quote Neruda to emphasize the importance of self-identity.
Perhaps this war will pass like the others which divided us leaving us dead, killing us along with the killers but the shame of this time puts its burning fingers to our faces. Who will erase the ruthlessness hidden in innocent blood?
I want to see the thirst inside the syllables I want to touch the fire in the sound: I want to feel the darkness of the cry. I want words as rough as virgin rocks.β - Verb.
Only do not forget, if I wake up crying it's only because in my dream I'm a lost child hunting through the leaves of the night for your hands.
And here am I, budding among the ruins with only sorrow to bite on, as if weeping were a seed and I the earth's only furrow.
Once more I am the silent one who came out of the distance wrapped in cold rain and bells: I owe to earth's pure death the will to sprout.
I learned about life from life itself, love I learned in a single kiss and could teach no one anything except that I have lived with something in common among men.
Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?
Calmness is the living breath of God's immortality in you.
The moral nihilism of celebrity culture is played out on reality television shows, most of which encourage a dark voyeurism into other people's humiliation, pain, weakness, and betrayal.
If He had not known with certainty that He would be Master over sin and that out of evil would evolve the noblest display of His own glory, He would not have permitted it to enter the world.
Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live.
You are not going to destroy this imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy by creating your own version of it.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.