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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Some lines are so good, an anxiety instantly arises in me that I might forget them.
emotional
quotes i’m saving to reference later:
“It is clear that we must hold to what is difficult, everything alive holds to it, everything in nature grows and defends itself in its own way and is characteristic out of itself, seeks at all costs to be so and against all opposition. We know little, but that we must hold to what is difficult is a certainty that will not forsake us; it is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is hard must be a reason the more for us to do it.”
“And your doubt may be a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become critical. Ask it, whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will perhaps find it perplexed and embarrassed, or perhaps up in arms. But don’t give in, insist on arguments and act this way, watchful and consistent, every single time, and the day will arrive when from a destroyer it will become one of your best workers — perhaps the cleverest of all that are building at your life.”
“I am glad, in a word, that you have surmounted the danger of falling into this sort of thing and are somewhere in a rough reality being solitary and courageous.”
“Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”
“What happens in your innermost being is worthy of your whole love; you must somehow keep working at it and not lose too much time and too much courage in explaining your position to people.”
“What keeps you from projecting His north into coming ages and living your life like a painful and beautiful day in the history of a great gestation? [...] Is there anything that can take from you the hope of this someday being in Him, the farthest, the ultimate?”
“It is clear that we must hold to what is difficult, everything alive holds to it, everything in nature grows and defends itself in its own way and is characteristic out of itself, seeks at all costs to be so and against all opposition. We know little, but that we must hold to what is difficult is a certainty that will not forsake us; it is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is hard must be a reason the more for us to do it.”
“And your doubt may be a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become critical. Ask it, whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will perhaps find it perplexed and embarrassed, or perhaps up in arms. But don’t give in, insist on arguments and act this way, watchful and consistent, every single time, and the day will arrive when from a destroyer it will become one of your best workers — perhaps the cleverest of all that are building at your life.”
“I am glad, in a word, that you have surmounted the danger of falling into this sort of thing and are somewhere in a rough reality being solitary and courageous.”
“Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”
“What happens in your innermost being is worthy of your whole love; you must somehow keep working at it and not lose too much time and too much courage in explaining your position to people.”
“What keeps you from projecting His north into coming ages and living your life like a painful and beautiful day in the history of a great gestation? [...] Is there anything that can take from you the hope of this someday being in Him, the farthest, the ultimate?”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
This book felt like having a conversation with a mentor that I’ve never had. Deeply inspiring and comforting. It made me smile , cry and most of all it made me feel understood. I loved it. Just from reading this I could tell that the author was an empathetic person.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
An amazing collection of letters! Rilke’s advice for young poets is phenomenal, especially about how beneficial solitude is.
Surrounding areas of perception have long felt the impressions of unknown parts of ourselves.
These trapped birds within us yearning to fly; honest art is the key to their freedom.
Rilke expresses the isolating tendencies of artistic living, how to embrace the static nature of life, and how to uncover honest expression in writing. I think the most striking feature of this small collection of letters is the unbending compassion, sympathy, and humility Rilke pours into every strain of his writing. His tormenting uncertainty is a source of hyper-consciousness about what it means to be a writer and his compassion for fellow poets.
These trapped birds within us yearning to fly; honest art is the key to their freedom.
Rilke expresses the isolating tendencies of artistic living, how to embrace the static nature of life, and how to uncover honest expression in writing. I think the most striking feature of this small collection of letters is the unbending compassion, sympathy, and humility Rilke pours into every strain of his writing. His tormenting uncertainty is a source of hyper-consciousness about what it means to be a writer and his compassion for fellow poets.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Better understanding and appreciation will stem from a deeper reading. In this case, I read it during my whole-day ARC shift in the quiet UP Arki building. Surrounded by cats, sunlight while letting Rilke's words wash over me. Nothing could have been more perfect. Making my peace with solitude.
Will reread and annotate to better appreciate it.
2: Reread (Sept 2023):
I went slowly this time, reading a letter or two at the start and end of the day. I wasn't feeling very stable and needed a friend, and reading Rilke's letters was the closest thing I had. In the lamplight, I was frequently moved to tears. To live the questions of my life, huh? To believe in love as an inheritance that grows. To live the solitude itself and not just through it. I feel like an analytic review is not what this book needs, and I feel that I will never be done with it, so instead I am choosing a quote that best encapsulates me/what I need at this reread.
What keeps you from projecting his birth into the ages that are coming into existence, and living your life as a painful and lovely day in the history of a great pregnancy? Don't you see how everything that happens is again and again a beginning,...
Will reread and annotate to better appreciate it.
2: Reread (Sept 2023):
I went slowly this time, reading a letter or two at the start and end of the day. I wasn't feeling very stable and needed a friend, and reading Rilke's letters was the closest thing I had. In the lamplight, I was frequently moved to tears. To live the questions of my life, huh? To believe in love as an inheritance that grows. To live the solitude itself and not just through it. I feel like an analytic review is not what this book needs, and I feel that I will never be done with it, so instead I am choosing a quote that best encapsulates me/what I need at this reread.
What keeps you from projecting his birth into the ages that are coming into existence, and living your life as a painful and lovely day in the history of a great pregnancy? Don't you see how everything that happens is again and again a beginning,...