--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was all as it had been, except for the…" description: "\"“It was all as it had been, except for the weight of the present, that scuttled the pact we made with heaven. In truth there was no cause for rejoicing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-ashbery-3600_pact_it-was-all-as-it-had-been-except-for-the_2398855.png" --- # It was all as it had been, except for the weight of the… ![“It was all as it had been, except for the weight of the present, that scuttled the pact we made with heaven. In truth there was no cause for rejoicing, nor need to turn around, either. We were lost just by standing, listening to the hum of wires overhead.” quote by John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-ashbery-3600_pact_it-was-all-as-it-had-been-except-for-the_2398855.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-ashbery-3600_pact_it-was-all-as-it-had-been-except-for-the_2398855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-ashbery-3600_pact_it-was-all-as-it-had-been-except-for-the_2398855.png) > ““It was all as it had been, except for the weight of the present, that scuttled the pact we made with heaven. In truth there was no cause for rejoicing, nor need to turn around, either. We were lost just by standing, listening to the hum of wires overhead.”” [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) ## 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 reflects on existential stagnation, feeling trapped by present weight, missing purpose, and being lost in passive listening. **In simple terms:** Present burdens can paralyze us, causing loss of direction. Key Takeaway Recognize and release present weight. Themes existential stagnation presence loss listening Mood melancholic contemplative introspective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - daily life - mental health - creative work - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy poetry consciousness Questions to Reflect On - What present weight holds you back? - How can you shift from listening to acting? A Different Perspective Focusing on the past or future can distract from present agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heaven Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-truth-904108/) [Pact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pact/) [Pact Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pact-heaven-6000571/) [Scuttled Pact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scuttled-pact-6000572/) [Standing Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-listening-6000573/) ## Related quotes > [The starry vault of heaven is in truth the open book of cosmic projection...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-starry-vault-of-heaven-is-in-truth-the-open-book-of-cosmic-2/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The window of heaven is what all truth seekers are trying to open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-klemp/the-window-of-heaven-is-what-all-truth-seekers-are-trying-to-open/) [Harold Klemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-klemp/) > [Jesus communicated parables to the secular people around him and he used stories that were very relevant to their lives, and He was taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kendrick/jesus-communicated-parables-to-the-secular-people-around-him-and-he/) [Stephen Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kendrick/) > [Let's start with some of the reasons that the press holds its tongue and some of the things that you don't know because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneva-overholser/let-s-start-with-some-of-the-reasons-that-the-press-holds-its-tongue/) [Geneva Overholser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneva-overholser/) > [The Eucharist engages us unreservedly; it is a pact of love, an alliance signed in the deeper recesses of our being. All our potentialities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/the-eucharist-engages-us-unreservedly-it-is-a-pact-of-love-an/) [Francois Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/) > [After all, what is a kiss? A vow made at closer range, a more precise promise, a confession that contains its own proof, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/after-all-what-is-a-kiss-a-vow-made-at-closer-range-a-more-precise/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-secret-of-a-good-old-age-is-simply-an-honorable-pact-with-solitude/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [ In the trade pact you know that was recently agreed to, I said you have to talk about devaluation. 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It's helped me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/i-made-a-pact-with-myself-a-long-time-ago-never-watch-anything/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [Germany has always stood for an E.U. of the 27 countries. But in light of Britain's continued resistance to further integration steps, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/germany-has-always-stood-for-an-e-u-of-the-27-countries-but-in-light/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [I really pulled back on my career when the kids were young and my husband and I made a pact never to work while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blythe-danner/i-really-pulled-back-on-my-career-when-the-kids-were-young-and-my/) [Blythe Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blythe-danner/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“We are born, and at that moment, it is as if we had signed a pact for the rest of our life, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-are-born-and-at-that-moment-it-is-as-if-we-had-signed-a-pact-for/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More by John Ashbery > [“It was always November there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/it-was-always-november-there/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [“Yes, they are alive and can have those colors, But I, in my soul, am alive too. I feel I must sing and dance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/yes-they-are-alive-and-can-have-those-colors-but-i-in-my-soul-am/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [How many people came and stayed a certain time, Uttered light or dark speech that became part of you Like light behind windblown fog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/how-many-people-came-and-stayed-a-certain-time-uttered-light-or-dark/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [Some certified nut Will try to tell you it's poetry, (It's extraordinary, it makes a great deal of sense) But watch out or he'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/some-certified-nut-will-try-to-tell-you-it-s-poetry-it-s/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [The ellipse is as aimless as that, Stretching invisibly into the future so as to reappear In our present. 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I feel they're going on all the time in my head and I occasionally snip off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/i-don-t-look-on-poetry-as-closed-works-i-feel-they-re-going-on-all/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [Somewhere someone is traveling furiously toward you, At incredible speed, traveling day and night, Through blizzards and desert heat, across torrents, through narrow passes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/somewhere-someone-is-traveling-furiously-toward-you-at-incredible-2/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [The promise of learning is a delusion… Tomorrow would alter the sense of what had already been learned, that the learning process is extended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/the-promise-of-learning-is-a-delusion-tomorrow-would-alter-the-sense/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) [Explore all 126 John Ashbery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) ## More Pact quotes > [“We are born, and at that moment, it is as if we had signed a pact for the rest of our life, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-are-born-and-at-that-moment-it-is-as-if-we-had-signed-a-pact-for/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I really pulled back on my career when the kids were young and my husband and I made a pact never to work while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blythe-danner/i-really-pulled-back-on-my-career-when-the-kids-were-young-and-my/) [Blythe Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blythe-danner/) > [Germany has always stood for an E.U. of the 27 countries. But in light of Britain's continued resistance to further integration steps, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/germany-has-always-stood-for-an-e-u-of-the-27-countries-but-in-light/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [I made a pact with myself a long time ago: Never watch anything stupider than you. It's helped me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/i-made-a-pact-with-myself-a-long-time-ago-never-watch-anything/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [This covenant energy holds and mirrors the pact that we have made of self-fulfillment for ourselves in this lifetime, and that covenant energy holds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/this-covenant-energy-holds-and-mirrors-the-pact-that-we-have-made-of/) [Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/) > [“It is often much harder to get rid of books than to acquire them. They stick to us in that pact of need and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/it-is-often-much-harder-to-get-rid-of-books-than-to-acquire-them-they/) [Carlos María Domínguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/) > [ In the trade pact you know that was recently agreed to, I said you have to talk about devaluation. Because that's been their \[China\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/in-the-trade-pact-you-know-that-was-recently-agreed-to-i-said-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-secret-of-a-good-old-age-is-simply-an-honorable-pact-with-solitude/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [After all, what is a kiss? 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