--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men pass in front of our eyes like…" description: "\"“Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures of a brief season. We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, clever; and they die almo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/philip-pullman-525_butterflies_men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butte_1030491.jpg" --- # Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures… ![“Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures of a brief season. We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, clever; and they die almost at once. They die so soon that our hearts are continually wracked with pain.” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/philip-pullman-525_butterflies_men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butte_1030491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/philip-pullman-525_butterflies_men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butte_1030491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/philip-pullman-525_butterflies_men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butte_1030491.jpg) > ““Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures of a brief season. We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, clever; and they die almost at once. They die so soon that our hearts are continually wracked with pain. ”” [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human lives are fleeting, like butterflies, beautiful yet brief, causing constant sorrow as we love and lose them. **In simple terms:** Life is short and beautiful, causing inevitable sorrow. Key Takeaway Cherish moments and accept impermanence. Themes mortality beauty transience love Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - relationships - artistic inspiration - grief processing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts ephemeral existence philosophical reflection emotional depth Questions to Reflect On - What does impermanence teach you about love? - How can you honor brief joys? A Different Perspective Focusing on permanence can ignore the value of fleeting experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Butterflies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterflies/) [Die Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-soon/) [Hearts Continually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts-continually-966712/) [Like Butterflies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-butterflies/) [Men Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-pass-1465448/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures of a brief season. We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, clever; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butterflies-creatures-of-a-brief/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Men pass in front of our eyes like butterflies, creatures of a brief season. We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, and clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/men-pass-in-front-of-our-eyes-like-butterflies-creatures-of-a-brief-3/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“We love them; they are brave, proud, beautiful, clever; and they die almost at once. They die so soon that our hearts are continually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-love-them-they-are-brave-proud-beautiful-clever-and-they-die/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“You are so young, Lyra, too young to understand this, but I shall tell you anyway and you'll understand it later: men pass in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/you-are-so-young-lyra-too-young-to-understand-this-but-i-shall-tell/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“I think that positivity— real positivity— is like the butterflies. The whole essence of the butterfly: caterpillar, cocoon, winged creature. When I look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-think-that-positivity-real-positivity-is-like-the-butterflies-the/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [I was more of, like, into butterflies, insects, playing out in the yard, planting flowers. I was really into plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/i-was-more-of-like-into-butterflies-insects-playing-out-in-the-yard/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) > [“Cats, like butterflies, need no excuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/cats-like-butterflies-need-no-excuse/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I think humans might be like butterflies; people die every day without many other people knowing about them, seeing their colors, hearing their stories...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-think-humans-might-be-like-butterflies-people-die-every-day-without/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-like-butterflies-who-flutter-for-a-day-and-think-it-is-forever-2/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Just like that, those butterflies I'd first felt at twelve made a reappearance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/just-like-that-those-butterflies-i-d-first-felt-at-twelve-made-a/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-like-butterflies-who-flutter-for-a-day-and-think-it-is-forever/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/little-girls-like-butterflies-need-no-excuse/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“My thoughts are like butterflies. They are beautiful, but they fly away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-thoughts-are-like-butterflies-they-are-beautiful-but-they-fly-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I love it when the snowflakes are flying like butterflies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/i-love-it-when-the-snowflakes-are-flying-like-butterflies/) [Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/) > [Real girls are like butterflies; Pretty to be seen but hard to catch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-girls-are-like-butterflies-pretty-to-be-seen-but-hard-to-catch/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Philip Pullman > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) [Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More Butterflies quotes > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/) [Michelle Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-blanchard/) > [“I look over at the man in question and just the sight of him gives me butterflies.  No, not butterflies.  Butterflies don’t quite do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-herrera/i-look-over-at-the-man-in-question-and-just-the-sight-of-him-gives-me/) [Devon Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-herrera/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [I wish that I could be with you tonight, you give me butterflies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-that-i-could-be-with-you-tonight-you-give-me-butterflies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everytime I talk to a special person I get butterflies¥~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everytime-i-talk-to-a-special-person-i-get-butterflies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Butterflies don't know the color of their wings, but human eyes know how nice it is... Like wise you don't know 'how good you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thanisha/butterflies-don-t-know-the-color-of-their-wings-but-human-eyes-know/) [Thanisha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thanisha/) > [I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-only-ask-to-be-free-the-butterflies-are-free-mankind-will-surely/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I've always loved butterflies, because they remind us that it's never too late to transform ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-ve-always-loved-butterflies-because-they-remind-us-that-it-s-never/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [“We all get butterflies Peter, it’s just a question of teaching them to fly in formation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rosengard/we-all-get-butterflies-peter-it-s-just-a-question-of-teaching-them-to/) [Peter Rosengard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rosengard/) > [I'm not a bug person, but something about butterflies I can handle because they're kind of cute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/i-m-not-a-bug-person-but-something-about-butterflies-i-can-handle/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [“You’re beautiful and charming, and I can’t stop thinking about last night.” No, he didn’t say that. 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