Art Quote by Anna Letitia Barbauld
“Eternity.Thy name Or glad, or fearful, we pronounce, as thoughts Wandering in darkness shape thee. Thou strange being, Which art and must be, yet which contradict'st All sense, all reasoning,thou, who never wast Less than thyself, and who still art thyself Entire, though the deep draught which Time has taken Equals thy present storeNo line can reach To thy unfathomed depths. The reasoning sage Who can dissect a sunbeam, count the stars, And measure distant worlds, is here a child, And, humbled, drops his calculating pen.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: "Eternity" by Anna Letitia Barbauld, 1795
Contemplates the paradox of human existence, limited knowledge, and the infinite.
In simple terms: Human life is fleeting and contradictory.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility and wonder.
Themes
existence
knowledge
humility
paradox
Mood
thoughtful
melancholic
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- philosophical inquiry
- artistic creation
- education
- spiritual contemplation
Key Concepts
metaphysics
epistemology
self‑reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to be both whole and incomplete?
- How can humility guide learning?
A Different Perspective
Human reasoning is limited; humility may cause nihilism.
