--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly…" description: "\"“Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear Here we go round the prickly pear At five o’clock in the morning. Between the idea And the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/t-s-eliot-2-1761_life_here-we-go-round-the-prickly-pear-prickl_2146575.jpg" --- # Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly… ![“Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear Here we go round the prickly pear At five o’clock in the morning. Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And…” quote by T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/t-s-eliot-2-1761_life_here-we-go-round-the-prickly-pear-prickl_2146575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/t-s-eliot-2-1761_life_here-we-go-round-the-prickly-pear-prickl_2146575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/t-s-eliot-2-1761_life_here-we-go-round-the-prickly-pear-prickl_2146575.jpg) > ““Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear Here we go round the prickly pear At five o’clock in the morning. Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow Life is very long Between the desire And the spasm Between the potency And the existence Between the essence And the descent Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom For Thine is Life is For Thine is the This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.”” [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem juxtaposes lofty ideas with harsh reality, showing how aspirations are eclipsed by doubt and the inevitable decline of humanity. **In simple terms:** Great ideas clash with reality, leading to disappointment and decline. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between vision and outcome. Themes disillusionment existentialism human frailty illusion finality Mood somber reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical poetic When to use this quote - personal reflection - art criticism - philosophical essay - creative writing - academic lecture Key Concepts nihilism shadow metaphor creational paradox Questions to Reflect On - How do you bridge the gap between your ideals and reality? - What can transform the “shadow” into light? A Different Perspective The poem’s bleak tone may overlook moments of hope or resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Thine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-thine-4494410/) [Pear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pear/) [Pear Prickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pear-prickly-4494409/) [Prickly Pear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prickly-pear-3598702/) [Thine Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thine-life-396557/) ## Related quotes > [there was not a tree on the place, only the horrible prickly pear bushes thrusting out their distorted arms as if exulting in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-m-dell/there-was-not-a-tree-on-the-place-only-the-horrible-prickly-pear/) [Ethel M. Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-m-dell/) > [“Joseph would reach out to me occasionally, the same way the desert blooms a flower every now and then. You get so used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/joseph-would-reach-out-to-me-occasionally-the-same-way-the-desert-2/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none; be able for thine enemy rather in power than use; and keep thy friend under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-all-trust-a-few-do-wrong-to-none-be-able-for-thine-enemy-rather/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up Thine own life's means!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thriftless-ambition-that-wilt-ravin-up-thine-own-life-s-means/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom Between the conception And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/between-the-idea-and-the-reality-between-the-motion-and-the-act-falls/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sheltered Garden" I have had enough. 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Those who carry a knife and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/slice-a-pear-and-you-will-find-that-its-flesh-is-incandescent-white/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [How do you like them? like a pear, a lemon, a la Montgolfier, half an apple, or a cantaloupe? Go and choose, don't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle/how-do-you-like-them-like-a-pear-a-lemon-a-la-montgolfier-half-an/) [Sidonie Gabrielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle/) > [“We have been careless with our pie repertoire. The demise of apple-pear pie with figs and saffron and orengeado pies are tragic losses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-clarkson/we-have-been-careless-with-our-pie-repertoire-the-demise-of-apple/) [Janet Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-clarkson/) > [A pear-tree planted nigh: 'Twas charg'd with fruit that made a goodly show, And hung with dangling pears was every bough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-pear-tree-planted-nigh-twas-charg-d-with-fruit-that-made-a-goodly/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) ## More by T.S. Eliot > [“I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/i-have-measured-out-my-life-in-coffee-spoons/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. 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Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Oxford is very pretty, but I don't like to be dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/oxford-is-very-pretty-but-i-don-t-like-to-be-dead/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there-is-about-machiavelli-to/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And a hundred visions and revisions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/and-time-yet-for-a-hundred-indecisions-and-a-hundred-visions-and/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“The world turns and the world changes, But one thing does not change. 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Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“We returned to our palaces, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching their gods.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/we-returned-to-our-palaces-these-kingdoms-but-no-longer-at-ease-here/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“…Lady of silences Calm and distressed Torn and most whole Rose of memory Rose of forgetfulness Exhausted and life-giving Worried reposeful The single Rose…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/lady-of-silences-calm-and-distressed-torn-and-most-whole-rose-of/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Destiny waits in the hand of god, shaping the still unshapen..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/destiny-waits-in-the-hand-of-god-shaping-the-still-unshapen/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/i-said-to-my-soul-be-still-and-wait-without-hope-for-hope-would-be-2/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) [Explore all 206 T.S. Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. 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