---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may be that the ignorant man, alone…"
description: "\"It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to mate his life with life That is the sensual, pearly spouse, the life That is fluent in even t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg"
---

#  It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to…

![“It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to mate his life with life That is the sensual, pearly spouse, the life That is fluent in even the wintriest bronze.” quote by Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg)

> “It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to mate his life with life That is the sensual, pearly spouse, the life That is fluent in even the wintriest bronze.”

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that only the ignorant, unburdened mind can truly merge with the raw, sensual flow of life, which is both beautiful and harsh.

**In simple terms:** Ignorance may allow a pure, unfiltered connection with life's raw beauty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace simplicity to experience life's depth.

Themes

ignorance connection nature beauty

Mood

reflective melancholic inquisitive

Type

poetic philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- contemplation
- creative writing
- mindfulness
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existentialism sensuality duality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does simplicity affect your perception of life?
- Can ignorance be a path to deeper experience?

A Different Perspective

Even the ignorant may miss deeper understanding through lack of awareness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bronze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bronze/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Fluent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluent/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Ignorant Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant-man/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mate Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mate-life-480562/) [Mates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mates/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pearly Spouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pearly-spouse-6095453/) [Sensual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensual/) [Spouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spouse/) [Spouse Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spouse-life-3638232/)

## Related quotes

> [To me, a spouse should be a life partner AND a business partner. Just like any good partner, her strengths must make up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/to-me-a-spouse-should-be-a-life-partner-and-a-business-partner-just/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [“The most precious gift to give to your spouse is not your life because if you die,he/she will no longer have use of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/the-most-precious-gift-to-give-to-your-spouse-is-not-your-life/)

[Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/)

> [Love does not exist. There exists the physical need for intercourse, and the rational need for a mate in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/love-does-not-exist-there-exists-the-physical-need-for-intercourse/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Our life is all about the choices we make, and when I was looking for a mate for life, I really was looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lunden/our-life-is-all-about-the-choices-we-make-and-when-i-was-looking-for/)

[Joan Lunden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lunden/)

> [Very few people mate for life with the people they fall for at twelve. Doesn't mean is isn't real, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-crusie/very-few-people-mate-for-life-with-the-people-they-fall-for-at-twelve/)

[Jennifer Crusie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-crusie/)

> [“I prefer to be a swan and have one mate for life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-prefer-to-be-a-swan-and-have-one-mate-for-life/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I believe people ought to mate for life...like pigeons or Catholics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-believe-people-ought-to-mate-for-life-like-pigeons-or-catholics/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [I love you, Mira…my Mate. My life. You’re my everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-mira-my-mate-my-life-you-re-my-everything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just because swans mate for life, I don't think its that big a deal. First of all, if you're a swan, you're probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-swans-mate-for-life-i-don-t-think-its-that-big-a-deal/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Mandarin ducks mate for life and will die of loneliness if separated from their chosen mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mandarin-ducks-mate-for-life-and-will-die-of-loneliness-if-separated/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Soul mates' are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/soul-mates-are-fiction-and-an-illusion-and-while-every-young-man-and/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [Needing a mate in your life isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of your humanity. Everybody needs somebody &amp; there's somebody for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/needing-a-mate-in-your-life-isn-t-a-sign-of-weakness-it-s-a-sign-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“They’re in love. Like black vultures. And termites. Yes, turtle doves and swans aren’t the only animals that mate for life. Ugly, toilet-licking termites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/they-re-in-love-like-black-vultures-and-termites-yes-turtle-doves-and/)

[Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/)

> [“Ben went on, “Shifters mate for life, but did you know that we have a rather high rate of divorce considering. Do you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-herzer/ben-went-on-shifters-mate-for-life-but-did-you-know-that-we-have-a/)

[Natalie Herzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-herzer/)

> [“There are other unimportant things about us and our world, which are doubtless the actions of civilised species everywhere. We mate for life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-park/there-are-other-unimportant-things-about-us-and-our-world-which-are/)

[Terence Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-park/)

## More by Wallace Stevens

> [Poet, patting more nonsense foamed From the sea, conceive for thecourts Of these academies, the diviner health Disclosed in common forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poet-patting-more-nonsense-foamed-from-the-sea-conceive-for-thecourts/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-way-through-the-world-is-more-difficult-to-find-than-the-way/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [The magnificent cause of being, The imagination, the one reality In this imagined world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-magnificent-cause-of-being-the-imagination-the-one-reality-in/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [Music falls on the silence like a sense / A passion that we feel, not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/music-falls-on-the-silence-like-a-sense-a-passion-that-we-feel-not/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [The life of the city never lets you go, nor do you ever want it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-life-of-the-city-never-lets-you-go-nor-do-you-ever-want-it-to/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [After a lustre of the moon, we say We have not the need of any paradise, We have not the need of any seducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/after-a-lustre-of-the-moon-we-say-we-have-not-the-need-of-any/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [I am what is around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/i-am-what-is-around-me/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [“We live in an old chaos of the sun, Or old dependency of day and night, Or island solitude, unsponsored, free, Of that wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/we-live-in-an-old-chaos-of-the-sun-or-old-dependency-of-day-and-night/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [“Lunar Paraphrase" The moon is the mother of pathos and pity. When, at the wearier end of November, Her old light moves along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/lunar-paraphrase-the-moon-is-the-mother-of-pathos-and-pity-when-at/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [Poetry is the scholar's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/poetry-is-the-scholar-s-art/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [“The stars are putting on their glittering belts, They throw around their shoulders cloaks that flash Like a great shadow's last embellishment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-stars-are-putting-on-their-glittering-belts-they-throw-around/)

[wallace stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/unfortunately-there-is-nothing-more-inane-than-an-easter-carol-it-is/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [The word is the making of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-word-is-the-making-of-the-world/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [A diary is more or less the work of a man of clay whose hands are clumsy and in whose eyes there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/a-diary-is-more-or-less-the-work-of-a-man-of-clay-whose-hands-are/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [It is never the thing but the version of the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-is-never-the-thing-but-the-version-of-the-thing/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

[Explore all 352 Wallace Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

## More Bronze quotes

> [I said it before we arrived in Athens, that we wanted to prove to the world that our bronze medal in Sweden was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianluca-basile/i-said-it-before-we-arrived-in-athens-that-we-wanted-to-prove-to-the/)

[Gianluca Basile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianluca-basile/)

> [Out of the closets and into the museums, libraries, architectural monuments, concert halls, bookstores, recording studios and film studios of the world. Everything belongs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-the-closets-and-into-the-museums-libraries-architectural/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When the peacock has presented his back, the spectator will usually begin to walk around him to get a front view; but the peacock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/when-the-peacock-has-presented-his-back-the-spectator-will-usually/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I always have my journal with me. It was handmade by a guy at the San Telmo market in Buenos Aires. If you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/i-always-have-my-journal-with-me-it-was-handmade-by-a-guy-at-the-san/)

[Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/)

> [If Pete Rose brings the Reds in first, they ought to bronze him and put him in cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-coleman/if-pete-rose-brings-the-reds-in-first-they-ought-to-bronze-him-and/)

[Jerry Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-coleman/)

> [I'd walk into the school, smell that institutional smell of the tomato soup, peanut butter, disinfectant, and boys room. Pass the lunchroom, see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-klein/i-d-walk-into-the-school-smell-that-institutional-smell-of-the-tomato/)

[Robert Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-klein/)

> [Black for hunting through the night For death and mourning the color's white Gold for a bride in her wedding gown And red to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/black-for-hunting-through-the-night-for-death-and-mourning-the-color/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm a very bad impersonator so I can't even remember if I've ever done a sports person. I mean, I think I was Bruce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-forte/i-m-a-very-bad-impersonator-so-i-can-t-even-remember-if-i-ve-ever/)

[Will Forte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-forte/)

> [I'm working on new techniques. I'm trying to find a way to make fresco that can be detached from a wall, and I'm trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/i-m-working-on-new-techniques-i-m-trying-to-find-a-way-to-make-fresco/)

[Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/)

> [All bronzes are made to be touched. Bronze is a sensual 'living' material. The sweat and oil of your palms adds to the patination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/all-bronzes-are-made-to-be-touched-bronze-is-a-sensual-living/)

[Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/)

> [I've been making bronze sculptures for a long time. My sculptures are wholly unsuccessful and uncommercial. No one is even the remotest bit interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/i-ve-been-making-bronze-sculptures-for-a-long-time-my-sculptures-are/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

> [Destroy it?' Leo was appalled. 'You've got a life-size bronze dragon, and you want to destroy it?' 'It breathes fire,' Nyssa explained. 'It's deadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/destroy-it-leo-was-appalled-you-ve-got-a-life-size-bronze-dragon-and/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [It is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear. In his death all things appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/it-is-entirely-seemly-for-a-young-man-killed-in-battle-to-lie-mangled/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Our patriotism comes straight from the Romans. This is why French children are encouraged to seek inspiration for it in Corneille. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/our-patriotism-comes-straight-from-the-romans-this-is-why-french/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“I went to the bronze boy whom I love, partly because no one really cares for him”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-went-to-the-bronze-boy-whom-i-love-partly-because-no-one-really/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

[Browse all 172 Bronze quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bronze/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to mate his life with life That is the sensual, pearly spouse, the life That is fluent in even the wintriest bronze.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wallace Stevens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-has-any-chance-to-mate-his-life/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bronze"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-has-any-chance-to-mate-his-life/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5d/wallace-stevens-846_bronze_it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-ha_1602307.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It may be that the ignorant man, alone, Has any chance to mate his life with life That is the sensual…” — Wallace Stevens",
                "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": "Wallace Stevens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It may be that the ignorant...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-has-any-chance-to-mate-his-life/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-may-be-that-the-ignorant-man-alone-has-any-chance-to-mate-his-life/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
