God how I hate new countries: They are older than the old, more sophisticated, much more conceited, only young in a certain puerile vanity more like senility than anything.
The trees down the boulevard stand naked in thought,_x000D_ _x000D_ Their abundant summery wordage silenced, caught_x000D_ _x000D_ In the grim undertow; naked the trees confront_x000D_ _x000D_ Implacable winter's long, cross-questioning brunt.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the vulnerability and silence of trees during winter, illustrating a deeper contemplation of nature's cycles.
In this quote by D. H. Lawrence, the imagery of trees standing 'naked' in the winter conveys a sense of exposure and vulnerability as they lose their leaves and face the harshness of the season. This stark portrayal prompts a reflection on the essence of nature during its dormant phase, emphasizing the contrast between the silence of the trees and the relentless questioning of winter, suggesting a deeper philosophical inquiry into existence and resilience amidst adversity.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a nature-themed event to illustrate the beauty and complexity of seasonal changes.
More from D. H. Lawrence
All quotes →A young man is afraid of his demon and puts his hand over the demon's mouth sometimes and speaks for him. And the things the young man says are very rarely poetry.
And besides, look at elder flowers and bluebells-they are a sign that pure creation takes place - even the butterfly. But humanity never gets beyond the caterpillar stage -it rots in the chrysalis, it never will have wings.It is anti-creation, like monkeys and baboons.
The Christian fear of the pagan outlook has damaged the whole consciousness of man.
The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great nerve center from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power that Saturn has over us, or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time.
... he preferred his own madness, to the regular sanity. He rejoiced in his own madness, he was free. He did not want that old sanity of the world, which was become so repulsive. He rejoiced in the new-found world of his madness. It was so fresh and delicate and so satisfying.
Similar quotes
We're a part of nature. As we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. It's a selfish thing to want to protect nature.
Modern research divides nature into tiny pieces and conducts tests that conform neither with natural law nor with practical experience. The results are arranged for the convenience of research, not according to the needs of the farmer.
Nature is the armory of genius. Cities serve it poorly, books and colleges at second hand; the eye craves the spectacle of the horizon; of mountain, ocean, river and plain, the clouds and stars; actual contact with the elements, sympathy with the seasons as they rise and roll.
On the mainland, a rain was falling. The famous Seattle rain. The thin, gray rain that toadstools love. The persistent rain that knows every hidden entrance into collar and shopping bag. The quiet rain that can rust a tin roof without the tin roof making a sound in protest. The shamanic rain that feeds the imagination. The rain that seems actually a secret language, whispering, like the ecstasy of primitives, of the essence of things.
We might be more inclined to think about the longer term if we were more aware of what is happening around us. Perhaps daily weather forecasts could include a few basic facts about the Earth's vital signs or details of where climate change is increasing the likelihood of damaging weather?
Nature seems to take advantage of the simple mathematical representations of the symmetry laws. When one pauses to consider the elegance and the beautiful perfection of the mathematical reasoning involved and contrast it with the complex and far-reaching physical consequences, a deep sense of respect for the power of the symmetry laws never fails to develop.