Duino-elegies Quote by Rainer Maria Rilke
““We only pass everything by like a transposition of air.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Book of Hours” by Rilke, 1905
Life is fleeting, and we merely glide past moments like air, emphasizing impermanence and the need to cherish experiences.
In simple terms: Life passes like air.
Key Takeaway
Live fully in each moment.
Themes
impermanence
transience
mindfulness
existence
poetry
Mood
contemplative
poetic
Type
literary
inspirational
When to use this quote
- daily routines
- travel
- relationships
- creative work
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
nihilism
stoicism
aestheticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you make moments count?
- What does “air” symbolize for you?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overlook active agency in shaping outcomes.
![“If your love for […] wants to do something now, then its work and task is this: to catch up with what it has missed. For it has failed to see whither this person has gone, it has failed to accompany her in her broadest development, it has failed to spread itself out over the new distances this…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/531/rainer-maria-rilke-193_beauty_if-your-love-for-wants-to-do-something-n_1544818.jpg)
![“The transposition of two Letters by five placeings will be sufficient for 32 Differences [and] by this Art a way is opened, whereby a man may expresse and signifie the intentions of his minde, at any distance of place, by objects … capable of a twofold difference onely,” quote by George B. Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5e7/george-b-dyson-84762_psychology_the-transposition-of-two-letters-by-five_1474130.jpg)
![“I think of published poets that you could know of...I think [Rainer Maria Rilke] probably has the most great published poems of any poet [...] but Rilke himself was an asshole. If you look at his biography, he was probably misogynist; he was a liar, a cheat; he was a terrible father; he was…” quote by Dan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/429/dan-schneider-11092_art_i-think-of-published-poets-that-you-coul_1886210.jpg)
