Age Quote by Ambrose Bierce
“YESTERDAY, n. The infancy of youth, the youth of manhood, the entire past of age. But yesterday I should have thought me blest To stand high-pinnacled upon the peak Of middle life and look adown the bleak And unfamiliar foreslope to the West, Where solemn shadows all the land invest And stilly voices, half-remembered, speak Unfinished prophecy, and witch-fires freak The haunted twilight of the Dark of Rest. Yea, yesterday my soul was all aflame To stay the shadow on the dial's face At manhood's noonmark! Now, in God His name I chide aloud the little interspace Disparting me from Certitude, and fain Would know the dream and vision ne'er again. --Baruch Arnegriff It is said that in his last illness the poet Arnegriff was attended at different times by seven doctors.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Untitled, 19th century (source unknown)
Reflects on the fleeting nature of youth and the longing for the certainty of middle age, juxtaposing past innocence with present uncertainty.
In simple terms: Youth fades, we crave stable middle life.
Key Takeaway
Embrace present while seeking deeper purpose.
Themes
time
memory
existence
spirituality
uncertainty
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- reflecting on aging
- seeking purpose
- contemplating life transitions
Key Concepts
philosophy
nostalgia
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile past and present?
- What gives you certainty now?
A Different Perspective
Life’s impermanence challenges certainty.
