Child, child, have patience and belief, for life is many…
““Child, child, have patience and belief, for life is many days, and each present hour will pass away. Son, son, you have been mad and drunken, furious and wild, filled with hatred and despair, and all the dark confusions of the soul - but so have we. You found the earth too great for your one life, you found your brain and sinew smaller than the hunger and desire that fed on them - but it has been this way with all men. You have stumbled on in darkness, you have been pulled in opposite directions, you have faltered, you have missed the way, but, child, this is the chronicle of the earth. And now, because you have known madness and despair, and because you will grow desperate again before you come to evening, we who have stormed the ramparts of the furious earth and been hurled back, we who have been maddened by the unknowable and bitter mystery of love, we who have hungered after fame and savored all of life, the tumult, pain, and frenzy, and now sit quietly by our windows watching all that henceforth never more shall touch us - we call upon you to take heart, for we can swear to you that these things pass.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage reflects on human suffering, madness, and the fleeting nature of life, urging patience and hope despite inevitable hardships.
In simple terms: Life is brief and painful, but patience and hope help endure.
Embrace patience and hope amid suffering.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- mental health support
- philosophical reflection
- spiritual guidance
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you cultivate patience when faced with despair?
- What practices help you find hope in suffering?
Human resilience is limited; not all can find hope easily.