What was any art but a mould in which to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself - life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose.
Willa CatherRead
Yet the summer which was to change everything was coming nearer every day. When boys and girls are growing up, life can't stand still, not even in the quietest of country towns; and they have to grow up, whether they will or no. That is what their elders are always forgetting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitable changes that come with growing up and the passage of time.
Willa Cather's quote highlights the unstoppable process of growth and maturity that children experience, emphasizing that even in the tranquility of rural life, change is constant. The passage suggests that the adults often forget this essential truth of life, as they may cling to the idea of everlasting childhood and simplicity, while the younger generation inevitably moves forward into adulthood.
Themes
ChangeGrowing UpTimeAdulthoodLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a graduation speech to inspire students about the changes they will face.
More from Willa Cather
All quotes →That is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.
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Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.
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Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand - a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods - or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values.
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The air and the earth interpenetrated in the warm gusts of spring; the soil was full of sunlight, and the sunlight full of red dust. The air one breathed was saturated with earthy smells, and the grass under foot had a reflection of the blue sky in it.
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This is reality, whether you like it or not--all those frivolities of summer, the light and shadow, the living mask of green that trembled over everything, they were lies, and this is what was underneath. This is the truth.
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