I try to be good but sometimes a person just has to break out and act like the wild and springy thing one used to be. It's impossible not to remember wild an want it back.
Mary OliverRead
There were times over the years when life was not easy, but if you're working a few hours a day and you've got a good book to read, and you can go outside to the beach and dig for clams, you're okay.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Even during tough times, simple pleasures and activities can bring contentment.
Mary Oliver's quote reflects the idea that despite life's challenges, finding joy in simple activities like reading and enjoying nature can lead to a fulfilling life. It suggests that fulfillment does not necessarily come from grand achievements but rather from appreciating small, everyday moments that bring peace and happiness.
Themes
LifeHappinessSimple PleasuresContentmentJoy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a motivational talk about finding happiness in everyday life.
More from Mary Oliver
All quotes →At the time I was growing up, literature was involved with the so-called confessional poets. And I was not interested in that. I did not think that specific and personal perspective functioned well for the reader at all.
Mary OliverRead
I know the sag of the unfinished poem. And I know the release of the poem that is finished.
Mary OliverRead
For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.
Mary OliverRead
If I have any lasting worth, it will be because I have tried to make people remember what the Earth is meant to look like.
Mary OliverRead
Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle in the haystack of light.
Mary OliverRead
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