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Hail! natural desire! Hail! happiness! divine happiness!…

“Hail! natural desire! Hail! happiness! divine happiness! and pleasure of all sorts, flowers and wine, though one fades and the other intoxicates; and half-crown tickets out of London on Sundays, and singing in a dark chapel hymns about death, and anything, anything that interrupts and confounds…” quote by Virginia Woolf
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““Hail! natural desire! Hail! happiness! divine happiness! and pleasure of all sorts, flowers and wine, though one fades and the other intoxicates; and half-crown tickets out of London on Sundays, and singing in a dark chapel hymns about death, and anything, anything that interrupts and confounds the tapping of typewriters and filing of letters and forging of links and chains, binding the Empire together.””

Virginia Woolf

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 celebrates fleeting pleasures and the chaotic mix of daily life that binds society together.

In simple terms: Life’s small joys and chaos connect us.

Key Takeaway

Embrace everyday moments despite chaos.

Themes

pleasure society chaos

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • daily routines
  • cultural events
  • personal reflection
  • social gatherings

Key Concepts

existentialism modernism social bonds

Questions to Reflect On

  • What small pleasures ground you amid chaos?
  • How does chaos strengthen or weaken social ties?
A Different Perspective

The quote romanticizes chaos, overlooking its potential harm.

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