Art Quote by Gerard Manley Hopkins
““Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend’ THOU art indeed just, Lord, if I contend With thee; but, sir, so what I plead is just. Why do sinners’ ways prosper? and why must Disappointment all I endeavour end? Wert thou my enemy, O thou my friend, How wouldst thou worse, I wonder, than thou dost Defeat, thwart me? Oh, the sots and thralls of lust Do in spare hours more thrive than I that spend, Sir, life upon thy cause. See, banks and brakes Now leavèd how thick! lacèd they are again With fretty chervil, look, and fresh wind shakes Them; birds build—but not I build; no, but strain, Time’s eunuch, and not breed one work that wakes. Mine, O thou lord of life, send my roots rain.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Wreck of the Deutschland, 1877
The speaker wrestles with divine justice, feeling his efforts are futile while others prosper through vice.
In simple terms: Questioning why good work seems unrewarded.
Key Takeaway
Reflect on your own sense of fairness.
Themes
faith
justice
struggle
disillusionment
Mood
melancholy
contemplative
Type
poetic
spiritual
When to use this quote
- personal prayer
- social injustice
- moral contemplation
Key Concepts
theodicy
existential angst
spiritual yearning
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you feel your labor is overlooked?
- How do you reconcile belief with apparent injustice?
A Different Perspective
Faith may not answer all suffering; human effort can feel meaningless.
