--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I divested myself of despair and fear…" description: "\"“I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here. Now there is no more catching one's own eye in the mirror, there are no bad books, no plastic,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jane-kenyon-26365_book_i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-wh_1034147.jpg" --- # I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here… ![“I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here. Now there is no more catching one's own eye in the mirror, there are no bad books, no plastic, no insurance premiums, and of course no illness. Contrition does not exist, nor gnashing of teeth. No one howls as the first clod of earth hits the…” quote by Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jane-kenyon-26365_book_i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-wh_1034147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jane-kenyon-26365_book_i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-wh_1034147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jane-kenyon-26365_book_i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-wh_1034147.jpg) > ““I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here. Now there is no more catching one's own eye in the mirror, there are no bad books, no plastic, no insurance premiums, and of course no illness. Contrition does not exist, nor gnashing of teeth. No one howls as the first clod of earth hits the casket. The poor we no longer have with us. Our calm hearts strike only the hour, and God, as promised, proves to be mercy clothed in light.”” [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker claims liberation from fear and suffering, describing a state of calm and divine mercy, yet the tone hints at denial of reality. **In simple terms:** Letting go of fear brings peace, but may ignore real pain. Key Takeaway Seek peace without denying hardship. Themes peace faith detachment Mood contemplative serene Type poetic spiritual When to use this quote - meditation - spiritual retreat - grief processing - healthcare decision making Key Concepts spiritual liberation denial miracle Questions to Reflect On - Is true peace possible without acknowledging suffering? - What does “no illness” symbolize? A Different Perspective Ignoring pain can lead to emotional numbness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Contrition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrition/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) ## Related quotes > [It is only in the depths of crisis and despair that the fear of losing one's personality breeds millennial hopes of rescue: otherwise, complacency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hoffmann/it-is-only-in-the-depths-of-crisis-and-despair-that-the-fear-of/) Stanley Hoffmann > [I'm so tired, but I can't sleep...standing on the edge of something much too deep...funny how I feel so much but cannot say a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coldheart/i-m-so-tired-but-i-can-t-sleep-standing-on-the-edge-of-something-much-3/) [Coldheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coldheart/) > [The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and-2/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [However desperate the situation and circumstances, don't despair. When there is everything to fear, be unafraid. When surrounded by dangers, fear none of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/however-desperate-the-situation-and-circumstances-don-t-despair-when/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [A lot of interviewers are looking for the dark side. They want to know about the depths of your despair and fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/a-lot-of-interviewers-are-looking-for-the-dark-side-they-want-to-know/) [Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/) > [Panic moves you to despair and fear your neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tate-reeves/panic-moves-you-to-despair-and-fear-your-neighbors/) [Tate Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tate-reeves/) > [A lot of my work comes from a place of despair or fear. I often write in order to gain some sort of control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/a-lot-of-my-work-comes-from-a-place-of-despair-or-fear-i-often-write/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [She had put despair and fear aside, as if they were garments she did not choose to wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-had-put-despair-and-fear-aside-as-if-they-were-garments-she-did/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair through fear alone. \[Lat., Fortes et strenuos etiam contra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [There are moments of despair that come sometimes, when night sets in and a white fog presses against the windows. Then our house changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/there-are-moments-of-despair-that-come-sometimes-when-night-sets-in/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) > [Evil is retributive: every trespass slips fetters on the will, holds the soul in durance till contrition and repentance restore it to liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/evil-is-retributive-every-trespass-slips-fetters-on-the-will-holds/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [“He died, as the Spanish phrase has it, full of illusions. He had not had time in his life to lose any of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/he-died-as-the-spanish-phrase-has-it-full-of-illusions-he-had-not-had/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Three conditions are necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/three-conditions-are-necessary-for-penance-contrition-which-is-sorrow/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Every contrition for sin is apt to encourage a not quite charitable wish that other people should exhibit a similar contrition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-williams/every-contrition-for-sin-is-apt-to-encourage-a-not-quite-charitable/) [Charles Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-williams/) > [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) ## More by Jane Kenyon > [“Here You always belonged here. You were theirs, certain as a rock. I’m the one who worries if I fit in with the furniture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/here-you-always-belonged-here-you-were-theirs-certain-as-a-rock-i-m/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [The soul's bliss and suffering are bound together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/the-soul-s-bliss-and-suffering-are-bound-together/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“All day the blanket snapped and swelled on the line, roused by a hot spring wind… From there it witnessed the first sparrow, early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/all-day-the-blanket-snapped-and-swelled-on-the-line-roused-by-a-hot/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“Let the light of late afternoon shine through chinks in the barn, moving up the bales as the sun moves down. 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Let it come, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/to-the-bottle-in-the-ditch-to-the-scoop-in-the-oats-to-air-in-the/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [Everyone longs for love's tense joys and red delights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/everyone-longs-for-love-s-tense-joys-and-red-delights/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [The poet's job is to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/the-poet-s-job-is-to-put-into-words-those-feelings-we-all-have-that/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [Let it come, as it will, and don't be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/let-it-come-as-it-will-and-don-t-be-afraid-god-does-not-leave-us/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“Reading Aloud to My Father I chose the book haphazard from the shelf, but with Nabokov's first sentence I knew it wasn't the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/reading-aloud-to-my-father-i-chose-the-book-haphazard-from-the-shelf/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [We try a new drug, a new combination of drugs, and suddenly I fall into my life again like a vole picked up by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/we-try-a-new-drug-a-new-combination-of-drugs-and-suddenly-i-fall-into/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I can't write a line that doesn't sound like pots and pans falling out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/my-ear-is-not-working-my-poetry-ear-i-can-t-write-a-line-that-doesn-t/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [If it's darkness we're having, let it be extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/if-it-s-darkness-we-re-having-let-it-be-extravagant/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“The shirt touches his neck and smooths over his back. It slides down his sides. It even goes down below his belt— down into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/the-shirt-touches-his-neck-and-smooths-over-his-back-it-slides-down/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) [Explore all 22 Jane Kenyon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here. 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