Wonder and love and great sorrow shook Schmendrick the…
““Wonder and love and great sorrow shook Schmendrick the Magician then, and came together inside him and filled him, filled him until he felt himself brimming and flowing with something that was none of these. He did not believe it, but it came to him anyway, as it had touched him twice before and left him more barren than he had been. This time, there was too much of it for him to hold; it spilled through his fingers and toes, welled up equally in his eyes and his hair and the hollows of his shoulders. There was too much to hold — too much ever to use; and still he found himself weeping with the pain of his impossible greed. He thought, or said, or sang, I did not know that I was so empty, to be so full.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A magician confronts overwhelming emotions that both fill and empty him, revealing the paradox of excess and yearning.
In simple terms: Too much feeling can feel both filling and empty.
Key Takeaway
Accept limits of what you can hold.
Themes
emotion
greed
emptiness
growth
paradox
Mood
melancholic
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- creative writing
- personal reflection
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
magical realism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you recognize when emotions become overwhelming?
- What practices help you balance feeling and emptiness?
A Different Perspective
The quote romanticizes suffering without offering coping strategies.