He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the future. The continuity of being is lacerated; the settled course of sentiment and action is stopped; and life stands suspended and motionless.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the profound loss and grief experienced when a long-loved partner passes away, emphasizing the deep connection shared between them.
Samuel Johnson's quote delves into the emotional turmoil faced by a person who has lost a partner after many years of love and companionship. It highlights how such a loss disrupts the continuity of life, halting personal growth and reflection. The deep bond shared with a spouse encompasses shared hopes, fears, and experiences, making their absence feel like a severance from one's own identity and future aspirations. This deep emotional disconnection creates a sense of paralysis in one's life, as if time itself has come to a standstill without the presence of the loved one.
In practice
In a eulogy for a spouse, one might use this quote to illustrate the depth of their bond and the impact of their absence.
To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.
Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
When any anxiety or gloom of the mind takes hold of you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaining; but exert yourselves to hide it, and by endeavoring to hide it you drive it away.
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
Absence may or may not make the heart grow fonder, but it certainly freshens the eye.
Earnsha was not to be civilized with a wish, and my young lady was no philosopher, and no paragon of patience; but both their minds tending to the same point - one loving and desiring to esteem, and the other loving and desiring to be esteemed - they contrived in the end to reach it.
Conventional compliments often take the form of judgments however positive, and are sometimes offered to manipulate the behavior of others. NVC encourages the expression of appreciation solely for celebration.
Civility, politeness, it's like a cement in a society: binds it together. And when we lose it, then I think we all feel lesser and slightly dirty because of it.
What editors are obliged to appear to say that men want from women is actually what their advertisers want from women.
He's a wallflower. You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.
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