Beautiful Quote by Rainer Maria Rilke
“My life is not this steeply sloping hour, in which you see me hurrying. Much stands behind me; I stand before it like a tree; I am only one of my many mouths, and at that, the one that will be still the soonest. I am the rest between two notes, which are somehow always in discord because Death’s note wants to climb over— but in the dark interval, reconciled, they stay there trembling. And the song goes on, beautiful.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Book of Hours, 1905
The speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of life, the weight of the past, and the tension between discord and harmony, finding beauty in the ongoing song of existence.
In simple terms: Life is brief, past lingers, and harmony emerges from discord.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the present, seek harmony amidst chaos.
Themes
mortality
reflection
beauty
Mood
melancholic
hopeful
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal introspection
- creative writing
- philosophical contemplation
Key Concepts
existentialism
temporal awareness
harmony
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you find harmony in moments of discord?
- What does the 'song' represent in your life?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor of musical notes may oversimplify complex emotions.
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
