--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Live on, survive, for the earth gives…" description: "\"“Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg" --- # Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It… ![“Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention. Your songs are your planets. Live on them but make no home there. What you write about, you lose. What…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg) > ““Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention. Your songs are your planets. Live on them but make no home there. What you write about, you lose. What you sing, leaves you on the wings of song. Sing against death. Command the wildness of the city. Freedom to reject is the only freedom. Freedom to uphold is dangerous. Life is elsewhere. Cross frontiers. Fly away.”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage urges embracing life's wonders despite mortality, urging attention, artistic expression, and fearless freedom while warning of the dangers of both rebellion and conformity. **In simple terms:** Live fully, accept wonder, and stay free. Key Takeaway Seek wonder, create, and choose freedom wisely. Themes wonder mortality creativity freedom rebellion Mood poetic philosophical Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - travel writing - poetry workshops - urban activism - personal crises Key Concepts existentialism artistic expression urban wildness Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance freedom with responsibility? - What wonders keep you alive? A Different Perspective Its abstract tone may be hard to apply practically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [Freedom to reject is the only freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/freedom-to-reject-is-the-only-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [As to freedom, it is cherished, it is hard to come by, it is hard to hang on to. But freedom without responsibility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/as-to-freedom-it-is-cherished-it-is-hard-to-come-by-it-is-hard-to/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Order is the first law of heaven, and you have to have order to survive on Earth. Figure out what has to be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/order-is-the-first-law-of-heaven-and-you-have-to-have-order-to/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [We must go through a natural revolution if we are to survive on earth. We need to change people's perceptions. If there's no environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/we-must-go-through-a-natural-revolution-if-we-are-to-survive-on-earth/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Anarchy could never get a man to the moon, but it may the only mode that can allow us to survive on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-b-kopp/anarchy-could-never-get-a-man-to-the-moon-but-it-may-the-only-mode/) [Sheldon B. Kopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-b-kopp/) > [Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-forth-wonders-it-may-swallow-your-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whoever doesn't live in poetry cannot survive here on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/whoever-doesn-t-live-in-poetry-cannot-survive-here-on-earth/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“You think man can destroy the planet? What intoxicating vanity. Earth has survived everything in its time. It will certainly survive us. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/you-think-man-can-destroy-the-planet-what-intoxicating-vanity-earth/) [Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/) > [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Man's last freedom is his freedom to choose how he will react in any given situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/man-s-last-freedom-is-his-freedom-to-choose-how-he-will-react-in-any/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [You don't disarm any white community by confining yourself to any particular method. If you want freedom, then you should get freedom like Patrick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-don-t-disarm-any-white-community-by-confining-yourself-to-any/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The practical reason for freedom is that freedom seems to be the only condition under which any kind of substantial moral fiber can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/the-practical-reason-for-freedom-is-that-freedom-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [Freedom is... freedom can actually be boring, you've got to realize that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-molyneux/freedom-is-freedom-can-actually-be-boring-you-ve-got-to-realize-that/) [Peter Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-molyneux/) > [Do not be deluded by the abstract word Freedom. Whose freedom? Not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/do-not-be-deluded-by-the-abstract-word-freedom-whose-freedom-not-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention. Your songs are your planets. Live on them but make no home there. What you write about, you lose. What you sing, leaves you on the wings of song. Sing against death. Command the wildness of the city. Freedom to reject is the only freedom. Freedom to uphold is dangerous. Life is elsewhere. Cross frontiers. Fly away.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Salman Rushdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-forth-wonders-it-may-swallow-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-forth-wonders-it-may-swallow-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/salman-rushdie-153_freedom_live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-fort_840973.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on…” — Salman Rushdie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Salman Rushdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Live on, survive, for the earth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-forth-wonders-it-may-swallow-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/live-on-survive-for-the-earth-gives-forth-wonders-it-may-swallow-your/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```