When I say that I am convinced of these things I speak…
““When I say that I am convinced of these things I speak with too much pride. Far off, like a perfect pearl, one can see the city of God. It is so wonderful that it seems as if a child could reach it in a summer's day. And so a child could. But with me and such as me it is different. One can realise a thing in a single moment, but one loses it in the long hours that follow with leaden feet. It is so difficult to keep 'heights that the soul is competent to gain.' We think in eternity, but we move slowly through time; and how slowly time goes with us who lie in prison I need not tell again, nor of the weariness and despair that creep back into one's cell, and into the cell of one's heart, with such strange insistence that one has, as it were, to garnish and sweep one's house for their coming, as for an unwelcome guest, or a bitter master, or a slave whose slave it is one's chance or choice to be.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker reflects on the pride of conviction, the fleeting nature of spiritual insight, and the struggle to maintain lofty aspirations while imprisoned by time and despair.
In simple terms: Pride, fleeting insight, and difficulty sustaining high ideals over time.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate humility and sustain aspirations despite hardship.
Themes
spirituality
pride
despair
time
prison
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- spiritual practice
- creative writing
- mental health
- prison literature
Key Concepts
existentialism
philosophy
psychology
resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- What sustains you in long struggles?
- How can pride become a barrier?
A Different Perspective
Maintaining high ideals is hard under prolonged hardship.