--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As hard as the diamonds in your smile…" description: "\"“As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with no mouth, seems to cradle solitude in its r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg" --- # As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries… ![“As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with no mouth, seems to cradle solitude in its rough arms like firewood to be burned in my house as it passes through and asks, “Where does she sparkle from?” quote by BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg) > ““As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with no mouth, seems to cradle solitude in its rough arms like firewood to be burned in my house as it passes through and asks, “Where does she sparkle from?”” [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem uses vivid, paradoxical imagery to explore loneliness and the yearning for connection, likening solitude to a fire that both comforts and burns. **In simple terms:** Loneliness feels like a fire that both comforts and burns. Key Takeaway Embrace solitude while seeking meaningful connections. Themes loneliness art existence creativity Mood melancholic contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - mental health coping - artistic expression Key Concepts paradox metaphor solitude desire Questions to Reflect On - What does solitude teach you about yourself? - How can you transform loneliness into creative energy? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize suffering, overlooking practical solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) ## Related quotes > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Seclusion wasn't good for anyone; it made you forget how to protect yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-james/seclusion-wasn-t-good-for-anyone-it-made-you-forget-how-to-protect/) [Heather James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-james/) > [“Well…there’s only one glove. Right away, I wonder, where’s the other glove? How did it become separated from its mate? Does it feel lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-kage/well-there-s-only-one-glove-right-away-i-wonder-where-s-the-other/) [Linda Kage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-kage/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“The journey towards your inner self is Solitude!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farheen-viquas/the-journey-towards-your-inner-self-is-solitude/) Farheen Viquas > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“...the solitude was intoxicating. On my first night there I lay on my back on the sticky carpet for hours, in the murky orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/the-solitude-was-intoxicating-on-my-first-night-there-i-lay-on-my/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [By all means use some time to be alone, salute thyself, see what thy soul doth wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/by-all-means-use-some-time-to-be-alone-salute-thyself-see-what-thy/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“Point is, that’s when I really realized that I don’t think like most people. I’m fine with solitude. In fact, I get antsy when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-e-taylor/point-is-that-s-when-i-really-realized-that-i-don-t-think-like-most/) [Dennis E. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-e-taylor/) > [You will not find a soulmate in the quiet of your room. You must go to a noisy place and look in the quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/you-will-not-find-a-soulmate-in-the-quiet-of-your-room-you-must-go-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“I still love to love my friends, but I punctuate those moments with solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-klein/i-still-love-to-love-my-friends-but-i-punctuate-those-moments-with/) [Stephanie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-klein/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [I cannot keep quiet even when I am a lone voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-cannot-keep-quiet-even-when-i-am-a-lone-voice/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) ## More by BJ Ward > [“The judge sentenced us to life— real, awake life out of the jails we had been roaming in— life in prism— then started handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/the-judge-sentenced-us-to-life-real-awake-life-out-of-the-jails-we/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“I’d reconstruct Heaven, or usurp Hell— write till I swing open like a door hinge. I arrive—a rogue who’d refurbish town. I take my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/i-d-reconstruct-heaven-or-usurp-hell-write-till-i-swing-open-like-a/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“As children we learned our shadow is a darkness we never totally shake until we lie down, pull the shades, draw the curtains, shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-children-we-learned-our-shadow-is-a-darkness-we-never-totally/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“I wanted to shove her away, thinking of my job, of headlines, of how this kind of comfort was outside the behavioral guidelines of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/i-wanted-to-shove-her-away-thinking-of-my-job-of-headlines-of-how/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“Shakespeare’s felicity is so often taught it is easy to overlook how taut the sinews in his neck must have been when he grasped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/shakespeare-s-felicity-is-so-often-taught-it-is-easy-to-overlook-how/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“Above us all rose my mother’s hand, dangling from the column shifter like some battle-tattered flag for independence, surrounded by the glass shards and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/above-us-all-rose-my-mother-s-hand-dangling-from-the-column-shifter/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“Will there be no more irises in your garden tomorrow morning, or perhaps any rainbows that covet your roof will melt into Rorschach pastels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/will-there-be-no-more-irises-in-your-garden-tomorrow-morning-or/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“These words are my mother’s, my father’s, my brother’s, my lender’s, my garbage man’s—the poem runs like oil on fire beneath this earth where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/these-words-are-my-mother-s-my-father-s-my-brother-s-my-lender-s-my/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) > [“My fist is her flag still furled. Take the cannoli and leave the tuxedo - This is my jackleg opera to the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/my-fist-is-her-flag-still-furled-take-the-cannoli-and-leave-the/) [BJ Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) [Explore all 10 BJ Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with no mouth, seems to cradle solitude in its rough arms like firewood to be burned in my house as it passes through and asks, “Where does she sparkle from?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "BJ Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-the-wind-carries-its-hammers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-the-wind-carries-its-hammers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/bj-ward-42254_american_as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-th_1953413.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As hard as the diamonds in your smile, the wind carries its hammers with no hands and sustains a moan with…” — BJ Ward", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "BJ Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As hard as the diamonds in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-the-wind-carries-its-hammers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-ward/as-hard-as-the-diamonds-in-your-smile-the-wind-carries-its-hammers/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```