--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 3. Alone The long march up the fulvous…" description: "\"“3. Alone The long march up the fulvous ridgebacks to The marches, the frontiers of difference -- Where flesh marches with bone, day marches with His w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3df/l-e-sissman-60526_journey_3-alone-the-long-march-up-the-fulvous-ri_1746606.jpg" --- # 3. Alone The long march up the fulvous ridgebacks to The… ![“3. Alone The long march up the fulvous ridgebacks to The marches, the frontiers of difference -- Where flesh marches with bone, day marches with His wife the night, and country marches with Another country -- is accomplished best, By paradox, alone. A world of twos, Of yangs and yins, of lives and…” quote by L.E. Sissman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3df/l-e-sissman-60526_journey_3-alone-the-long-march-up-the-fulvous-ri_1746606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3df/l-e-sissman-60526_journey_3-alone-the-long-march-up-the-fulvous-ri_1746606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3df/l-e-sissman-60526_journey_3-alone-the-long-march-up-the-fulvous-ri_1746606.jpg) > ““3. Alone The long march up the fulvous ridgebacks to The marches, the frontiers of difference -- Where flesh marches with bone, day marches with His wife the night, and country marches with Another country -- is accomplished best, By paradox, alone. A world of twos, Of yangs and yins, of lives and objects, of Sound grasses and deaf stones, is best essayed By sole infiltrators who have cast off Their ties to living moorings, and stand out Into the roads of noon approaching night Casting a single shadow, earnest of Their honorable intention to lay down Their lives for their old country, humankind, In the same selfish spirit that inspired Their lifelong journey, largely and at last Alone, across the passes that divide A life from every other, the sheer crags Of overweening will, the deepening scarps Like brain fissures that cunningly cut off Each outcrop from the main and make it one While its luck lasts, while its bravura holds Against all odds, until the final climb Across the mountains to the farther shore Of sundown on the watersheds, where self, Propelled by its last rays, sways in the sway Of the last grasses and falls headlong in The darkness of the dust it is part of Upon the passes where we are no more: Where the recirculating shaft goes home Into the breast that armed it for the air, And, as we must expect, the art that there Turned our lone hand into imperial Rome Reverts to earth and its inveterate love For the inanimate and its return. FINIS -- from 'Tras Os Montes”” [L.E. Sissman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-sissman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitude and paradox empower the lone traveler to confront inner and external conflicts, forging unity through contrast. **In simple terms:** Alone, paradoxical journeys reveal deeper truths. Key Takeaway Embrace solitary reflection for growth. Themes solitude paradox journey Mood introspective philosophical Type poetic reflective When to use this quote - mountain climbing - personal crisis - creative writing - spiritual quests Key Concepts Existentialism dualism self‑transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What does “alone” mean to you? - How can paradox guide personal insight? A Different Perspective Isolation can lead to alienation if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country Marches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-marches-1566235/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Long March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-march-1566231/) [Marches Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marches-country-1566233/) [Marches Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marches-frontiers-1566232/) [Old Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-country/) [Ridgebacks Marches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridgebacks-marches-1566234/) ## Related quotes > [It is impossible not to recognise the Long March as one of the great triumphs of men against odds and men against nature. While…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-snow/it-is-impossible-not-to-recognise-the-long-march-as-one-of-the-great/) [Edgar Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-snow/) > [The best motto for a long march is 'Don't grumble. Plug on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-frederick-treves-1st-baronet/the-best-motto-for-a-long-march-is-don-t-grumble-plug-on/) [Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-frederick-treves-1st-baronet/) > [“The road to death is a long march beset with all evils, and the heart fails little by little at each new terror, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/the-road-to-death-is-a-long-march-beset-with-all-evils-and-the-heart-2/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [We shall meet again before long to march to new triumphs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-garibaldi/we-shall-meet-again-before-long-to-march-to-new-triumphs/) [Giuseppe Garibaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-garibaldi/) > [The Long March The Red Army is not afraid of hardship on the march, the long march. 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You know why? Because being thankful is a sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/there-is-no-thanksgiving-back-in-the-old-country-where-i-come-from/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [“She had that emigrant’s sadness—she would never go back to her old country—it was gone in more senses than one—but she was forever gazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-had-that-emigrant-s-sadness-she-would-never-go-back-to-her-old/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together: black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-see-americans-of-every-party-every-background-every-faith-who/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Here, he felt like a stranger in a strange- and extremely seductive- land. In contrast to the places of his past, Bella Vista seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/here-he-felt-like-a-stranger-in-a-strange-and-extremely-seductive/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“Why do these big old country houses always have family portraits in the dining room? Do you really want to eat with someone's gloomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/why-do-these-big-old-country-houses-always-have-family-portraits-in/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) ## More by L.E. Sissman > [“Struck dumb by love among the walruses And whales, the off-white polar bear with stuffing Missing, the mastodons like muddy buses, I sniff the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-sissman/struck-dumb-by-love-among-the-walruses-and-whales-the-off-white-polar/) [L.E. 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Make the best of the journey before it is over!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-a-blast-life-wont-last-make-the-best-of-the-journey-before-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Cocoon's cry to first fly, Travels thousands of miles— So much in so little life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-negi/cocoon-s-cry-to-first-fly-travels-thousands-of-miles-so-much-in-so/) [Ritu Negi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-negi/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [“Everywhere is home, let is go home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzuco-hu-nh/everywhere-is-home-let-is-go-home/) [Dzuco Huỳnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzuco-hu-nh/) > [Life is a journey, not a destination. Fall into the deep - rise to new heights. .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-basumatary/life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-fall-into-the-deep-rise-to-new/) [Ashish Basumatary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-basumatary/) > [Be the inner journeys, be the outer travels, all trips elevate man, all voyages lift him up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/be-the-inner-journeys-be-the-outer-travels-all-trips-elevate-man-all/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The hardest roads are often empty; the darkest paths are mostly silent; toughest destinations are almost peopleless! No easy road brings you great victory!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-hardest-roads-are-often-empty-the-darkest-paths-are-mostly-silent/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“May the seas bend to your journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoraida-c-rdova/may-the-seas-bend-to-your-journey/) [Zoraida Córdova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoraida-c-rdova/) [Browse all 11,861 Journey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“3. Alone The long march up the fulvous ridgebacks to The marches, the frontiers of difference -- Where flesh marches with bone, day marches with His wife the night, and country marches with Another country -- is accomplished best, By paradox, alone. A world of twos, Of yangs and yins, of lives and objects, of Sound grasses and deaf stones, is best essayed By sole infiltrators who have cast off Their ties to living moorings, and stand out Into the roads of noon approaching night Casting a single shadow, earnest of Their honorable intention to lay down Their lives for their old country, humankind, In the same selfish spirit that inspired Their lifelong journey, largely and at last Alone, across the passes that divide A life from every other, the sheer crags Of overweening will, the deepening scarps Like brain fissures that cunningly cut off Each outcrop from the main and make it one While its luck lasts, while its bravura holds Against all odds, until the final climb Across the mountains to the farther shore Of sundown on the watersheds, where self, Propelled by its last rays, sways in the sway Of the last grasses and falls headlong in The darkness of the dust it is part of Upon the passes where we are no more: Where the recirculating shaft goes home Into the breast that armed it for the air, And, as we must expect, the art that there Turned our lone hand into imperial Rome Reverts to earth and its inveterate love For the inanimate and its return. 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