--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shut my eyes and turned them on my…" description: "\"“I shut my eyes and turned them on my heart, As a man calls for wine before he fights, I asked one draught of earlier, happier sights, Ere fitly I coul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/robert-browning-734_inspirational_i-shut-my-eyes-and-turned-them-on-my-hea_2660445.jpg" --- # I shut my eyes and turned them on my heart, As a man calls… ![“I shut my eyes and turned them on my heart, As a man calls for wine before he fights, I asked one draught of earlier, happier sights, Ere fitly I could hope to play my part. Think first, fight afterwards, the soldier’s art: One taste of the old time sets all to rights.” quote by Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/robert-browning-734_inspirational_i-shut-my-eyes-and-turned-them-on-my-hea_2660445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/robert-browning-734_inspirational_i-shut-my-eyes-and-turned-them-on-my-hea_2660445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/robert-browning-734_inspirational_i-shut-my-eyes-and-turned-them-on-my-hea_2660445.jpg) > ““I shut my eyes and turned them on my heart, As a man calls for wine before he fights, I asked one draught of earlier, happier sights, Ere fitly I could hope to play my part. Think first, fight afterwards, the soldier’s art: One taste of the old time sets all to rights.”” [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker seeks inner clarity and past happiness before confronting conflict, using wine as a metaphor for memory and resolve. **In simple terms:** Seek inner peace and recall better times before fighting. Key Takeaway Recall past joy before confronting challenges. Themes reflection inner peace conflict memory wine Mood thoughtful melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - pre‑battle preparation - personal meditation - stress coping - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does recalling happier moments affect current decisions? - Can nostalgia hinder realistic planning? 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Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) ## More by Robert Browning > [I would have rummaged, ransacked at the word; Those old odd corners of an empty heart; For remnants of dim love the long disused,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/i-would-have-rummaged-ransacked-at-the-word-those-old-odd-corners-of/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, never doubted clouds would break, never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/one-who-never-turned-his-back-but-marched-breast-forward-never/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [All service ranks the same with God,- With God, whose puppets, best and worst, Are we: there is no last nor first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/all-service-ranks-the-same-with-god-with-god-whose-puppets-best-and/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“Have you found your life distasteful? 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