Lewis Carroll

There comes a pause, for human strength will not endure to dance without cessation; and everyone must reach the point at length of absolute prostration.

quote by Lewis CarrollReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

Lewis Carroll

Riddle 1

THERE was an ancient City, stricken down
With a strange frenzy, and for many a day
They paced from morn to eve the crowded town,
And danced the night away.

I asked the cause: the aged man grew sad:
They pointed to a building gray and tall,
And hoarsely answered "Step inside, my lad,
And then you'll see it all."

* * * *

Yet what are all such gaieties to me
Whose thoughts are full of indices and surds?
x² + 7x + 53

= 11/3.


But something whispered "It will soon be done:
Bands cannot always play, nor ladies smile:
Endure with patience the distasteful fun
For just a little while!"

A change came o'er my Vision - it was night:
We clove a pathway through a frantic throng:
The steeds, wild-plunging, filled us with affright:
The chariots whirled along.

Within a marble hall a river ran -
A living tide, half muslin and half cloth:
And here one mourned a broken wreath or fan,
Yet swallowed down her wrath;

And here one offered to a thirsty fair
(His words half-drowned amid those thunders tuneful)
Some frozen viand (there were many there),
A tooth-ache in each spoonful.

There comes a happy pause, for human strength
Will not endure to dance without cessation;
And every one must reach the point at length
Of absolute prostration.

At such a moment ladies learn to give,
To partners who would urge them over-much,
A flat and yet decided negative -
Photographers love such.

There comes a welcome summons - hope revives,
And fading eyes grow bright, and pulses quicken:
Incessant pop the corks, and busy knives
Dispense the tongue and chicken.

Flushed with new life, the crowd flows back again:
And all is tangled talk and mazy motion -
Much like a waving field of golden grain,
Or a tempestuous ocean.

And thus they give the time, that Nature meant
For peaceful sleep and meditative snores,
To ceaseless din and mindless merriment
And waste of shoes and floors.

And One (we name him not) that flies the flowers,
That dreads the dances, and that shuns the salads,
They doom to pass in solitude the hours,
Writing acrostic-ballads.

How late it grows! The hour is surely past
That should have warned us with its double knock?
The twilight wanes, and morning comes at last -
"Oh, Uncle, what's o'clock?"

The Uncle gravely nods, and wisely winks.
It MAY mean much, but how is one to know?
He opens his mouth - yet out of it, methinks,
No words of wisdom flow.

poem by Lewis Carroll from Four RiddlesReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Human Zoo

Well you just step right up, you sexy thing
Tell me whats been goin on in that funky little brain
Come dance with the devil
You want it when its gonna cost you
cause nothing comes for free
When youre living in a human zoo
Chorus
Dance sister dance through the human zoo
Youre such a mess now, girl
Look what theyve done to you...
In the human zoo
Look what theyve done to you
All love lost, in a fit of rage
Sell your soul for revenge and seal your fate
Welcome to the nightmare
Ive been expecting you
Say anything you like, baby
Just dont let me hear your point of view
Chorus
Dance sister dance through the human zoo
Dance sister dance through the human zoo
Youre such a mess now, girl
Look what they done to you...
In the human zoo
Look what they done to you
Look what, look what they done, baby
They made a mess of you
Harmonica solo
Bridge
Hanoi rocks and saigon rolls
Just drop the bomb then watch it explode
Sign of the times read too young to vote
But old enough to die for you
We got the medication you need
Just dont let us hear your point of view
Chorus
Dance sister dance through the human zoo
Dance sister dance through the human zoo

song performed by by PoisonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Fundamental of Liar Chapter XCVIII: Absolutely Relative

Expensive is absolute, cheap is relative
Far is absolute, near is relative
Ugly is absolute, beauty is relative
Weird is absolute, crazy is relative
Stubborn is absolute, brave is relative
Stupid is absolute, smart is relative
Weak is absolute, strong is relative
Old is absolute, mature is relative
Lose is absolute, win is relative
Rich is absolute, poor is relative
Sad is absolute, happy is relative
Misfortune is absolute, lucky is relative
Safe is absolute, fear is relative
Love is absolute, hate is relative
Important is absolute, forgotten is relative
Easy is absolute, difficult is relative
Wrong is absolute, right is relative
Bad is absolute, good is relative
Lie is absolute, truth is relative

poem by Maria SudibyoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I Am 'First' A Human Being

I had walked around for decades,
Feeling and shouldering emotional pain.

When I decided I had nothing to gain...
By accepting this as an invitation,
To prove I could endure...
With a strength to regard as bravery?
No one had to point out to me,
Just how crazy this was.

I am 'first' a human being!
And I no longer have to adapt to that fact.
To me that has been shown.
And to others I make that known!

I am 'first' a human being!
Any other layers some choose to address...
I have learned to let it be expressed.
But to cause me stress to stay to become effective?
No.
These days I do not live in those times.

poem by Lawrence S. PertillarReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Oppression

Is a question of strength,
of unshed tears,
of being trampled under,
and always, always,
remembering you are human.

Look deep to find the grains of hope and strength,
and sing, my brothers and sisters,

and sing. The sun will share
your birthdays with you behind bars,
the new spring grass

like fiery spears will count your years,
as you start into the next year;
endure my brothers, endure my sisters.

poem by Jimmy Santiago BacaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Philippians 4: 13

The strength to resist the night
The strength to endure the day
The strength to keep righteous paths in sight
The strength to take them without delay

The strength to find a purpose in life
The strength to find the truths it brings
The strength to kick away from strife
The strength to stabalize the rock it clings

The strength to light a friend’s day up
The strength to resist wrathful foes
The strength to fill a stranger’s dry cup
The strength to shun sin when it opposed

The strength to feel a injured man’s pain
The strength to hold a reject’s hand
The strength to act against any gain
The strength to love without demand

The strength to understand that our King
Has blessed us with more than we can contain
Therefore regardless what time may bring
The strength will continue to reign

poem by Anders LimReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The humorous man recognizes that absolute purity, absolute justice, absolute logic and perfection are beyond human achievement and that men have been able to live happily for thousands of years in a state of genial frailty.

quote by Brooks AtkinsonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Lewis Carroll

Four Riddles

I

There was an ancient City, stricken down
With a strange frenzy, and for many a day
They paced from morn to eve the crowded town,
And danced the night away.

I asked the cause: the aged man grew sad:
They pointed to a building gray and tall,
And hoarsely answered "Step inside, my lad,
And then you'll see it all."


Yet what are all such gaieties to me
Whose thoughts are full of indices and surds?

x*x + 7x + 53 = 11/3

But something whispered "It will soon be done:
Bands cannot always play, nor ladies smile:
Endure with patience the distasteful fun
For just a little while!"

A change came o'er my Vision - it was night:
We clove a pathway through a frantic throng:
The steeds, wild-plunging, filled us with affright:
The chariots whirled along.

Within a marble hall a river ran -
A living tide, half muslin and half cloth:
And here one mourned a broken wreath or fan,
Yet swallowed down her wrath;

And here one offered to a thirsty fair
(His words half-drowned amid those thunders tuneful)
Some frozen viand (there were many there),
A tooth-ache in each spoonful.

There comes a happy pause, for human strength
Will not endure to dance without cessation;
And every one must reach the point at length
Of absolute prostration.

At such a moment ladies learn to give,
To partners who would urge them over-much,
A flat and yet decided negative -
Photographers love such.

There comes a welcome summons - hope revives,
And fading eyes grow bright, and pulses quicken:
Incessant pop the corks, and busy knives
Dispense the tongue and chicken.

Flushed with new life, the crowd flows back again:
And all is tangled talk and mazy motion -
Much like a waving field of golden grain,
Or a tempestuous ocean.

And thus they give the time, that Nature meant
For peaceful sleep and meditative snores,
To ceaseless din and mindless merriment
And waste of shoes and floors.

And One (we name him not) that flies the flowers,
That dreads the dances, and that shuns the salads,
They doom to pass in solitude the hours,
Writing acrostic-ballads.

How late it grows! The hour is surely past
That should have warned us with its double knock?
The twilight wanes, and morning comes at last -
"Oh, Uncle, what's o'clock?"

The Uncle gravely nods, and wisely winks.
It MAY mean much, but how is one to know?
He opens his mouth - yet out of it, methinks,
No words of wisdom flow.


II

Empress of Art, for thee I twine
This wreath with all too slender skill.
Forgive my Muse each halting line,
And for the deed accept the will!


O day of tears! Whence comes this spectre grim,
Parting, like Death's cold river, souls that love?
Is not he bound to thee, as thou to him,
By vows, unwhispered here, yet heard above?

And still it lives, that keen and heavenward flame,
Lives in his eye, and trembles in his tone:
And these wild words of fury but proclaim
A heart that beats for thee, for thee alone!

But all is lost: that mighty mind o'erthrown,
Like sweet bells jangled, piteous sight to see!
"Doubt that the stars are fire," so runs his moan,
"Doubt Truth herself, but not my love for thee!"

A sadder vision yet: thine aged sire
Shaming his hoary locks with treacherous wile!
And dost thou now doubt Truth to be a liar?
And wilt thou die, that hast forgot to smile?

Nay, get thee hence! Leave all thy winsome ways
And the faint fragrance of thy scattered flowers:
In holy silence wait the appointed days,
And weep away the leaden-footed hours.


III.

The air is bright with hues of light
And rich with laughter and with singing:
Young hearts beat high in ecstasy,
And banners wave, and bells are ringing:
But silence falls with fading day,
And there's an end to mirth and play.
Ah, well-a-day

Rest your old bones, ye wrinkled crones!
The kettle sings, the firelight dances.
Deep be it quaffed, the magic draught
That fills the soul with golden fancies!
For Youth and Pleasance will not stay,
And ye are withered, worn, and gray.
Ah, well-a-day!

O fair cold face! O form of grace,
For human passion madly yearning!
O weary air of dumb despair,
From marble won, to marble turning!
"Leave us not thus!" we fondly pray.
"We cannot let thee pass away!"
Ah, well-a-day!


IV.

My First is singular at best:
More plural is my Second:
My Third is far the pluralest -
So plural-plural, I protest
It scarcely can be reckoned!

My First is followed by a bird:
My Second by believers
In magic art: my simple Third
Follows, too often, hopes absurd
And plausible deceivers.

My First to get at wisdom tries -
A failure melancholy!
My Second men revered as wise:
My Third from heights of wisdom flies
To depths of frantic folly.

My First is ageing day by day:
My Second's age is ended:
My Third enjoys an age, they say,
That never seems to fade away,
Through centuries extended.

My Whole? I need a poet's pen
To paint her myriad phases:
The monarch, and the slave, of men -
A mountain-summit, and a den
Of dark and deadly mazes -

A flashing light - a fleeting shade -
Beginning, end, and middle
Of all that human art hath made
Or wit devised! Go, seek HER aid,
If you would read my riddle!

poem by Lewis CarrollReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Make that fall

For a bird to discover its wings
And its “natural” ability of flying
It first has to make a fall
From the highest possible point in space
Only after several such daring attempts
Is the art of flight acquired
And the sky-confidence obtained
The danger is real
But, so are the rewards
If you cannot make that fall
You will never know you can
You will crawl when in fact you can fly
There is an Invisible Hand
Its strength is the strength of the whiling wind
Its length is the length of all the rivers of the planet
There is an Invisible Hand
That will never let you hit the ground too hard
When you finally decide to make that fall

poem by LLM MbathaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses.

quote by CatoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Dance of love

The dance of hungered love
a dance of the soul
for fulfillment and everlasting love
dance the rapture
contemplating trancendence of love
meaning and beauty
i seek and questione
the lover, the dreamer
will know
what a pure human mind can never know
no words can describe
the shape and meaning of everything in life
experience it,
a blade of grass
it is part of the mystery
the unknown
the root of all knowledge
of creation itself
so i dance the dance of everlasting love
on nothingness
in search of the absolute
a search never quenched
a hunger never assuage...

poem by Persian KhushiReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Child Juggling Kumquats, Smiling

Tao
can never dance.
All dance
is Tao.


Tao
can never forgive.
All things
create themselves.


Dance is not
wu-wei, action
without thought.


Dance is not shen yen,
realization that natural
rhythm is absolute freedom.


Dance escapes
definition.
Dance can only
be danced.


Forgiveness
is not a way
of moving
both in sorrow
and in peace.


Forgiveness
is not the child
of experience wedded
to understanding.


Forgiveness:
the union of open mind,
spontaneous movement,
and pure spirit.


Forgiveness:
the basic function
of dance.

poem by David KowalczykReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Analog or Digital

Digital is absolute, on or off, zero or infinity.
Analog is steadily changing, never absolute.
Cyberpunk is climbing towards reality with novelty.
Do we see it as an end point or another transition?
Is science fiction imagination or prediction?
Does it depend on the human motive or imagination?
What is the nature of reality?
All of creation is good, even upon death.
All is potential, nothing is dead.
Even upon death, these things persist.
We speak in absolutes. We think in absolutes.
Or we think in analog, hopefully.
Both are valuable and detrimental.

poem by Poet DragonReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

We are one - In adversity in prosperity

In adversity
We are one
In prosperity
We are one.
Are we really one?
There is some lacuna.

Our friendship is our strength.
Are we weak if we are not friend?

Life's detour
You can not exile anybody
And act as orator.

To show manliness is reward
We are not drunkard.
We can not go for
Universal dissolution.

We are rational
Our revelation is our prostration.
We are one
And one.

poem by Gajanan MishraReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Be near me when I fade away

Oh dear love! Live with me all we shall endure
Even when all seems to suffer turbulent shocks
Rise then we shall to set firmly on solid rock
To flow through all our deeds and make them pure


That we may lift from out of wind and gust
A voice within us that calms and hears
Our cry above the youthful unconquered years
Yet we ever lust for them and in our faith we put our trust

With faith that comes of inner strength
Of truths between us that never can be proved
We can never close all within us that we loved
With our serene pleasures and moments stretched at length

To be with me when my days are cold and my light is low
When the blood creeps and the nerves prick
And tingle, and the heart is frail and sick
And all my wheels are slow

Stay by me when the sensuous frame
Is racked with painful pangs that defeats trust
And Time, a maniac scattering dust
And life is still hungry as a child watching a slinging flame

Be near me when I fade away
To point the term of human strife
And in the low dark verge of life
I see the twilight of eternal day

copy rights 2010

poem by Isaac ZivReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The Lion Symbol

Dedicated to the United Kingdom The lion symbol of England is of its strength;
It is blessed with good friends, and life's length.
The lion has many friends;
Most sociable adorable grins. Its voice is heard among the land,
For every lion, and every man's grand.
The symbol of England to this day.
We respect her strength in every way. Our mother land we do adore,
She became our foreign shore.
So remember to ask God for strength;
Good life blessed with quality,
And not just length. A life filled with love remembering the peace dove.
Asking God to help us all.
Bless England, and America's call,
The Lion, and England's strength.
American treaty blessed with length.

poem by Iris CaudleReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Eric Hoffer

If Hitler had had the talents and the temperament of a genuine artist, if Stalin had had the capacity to become a first-rate theoretician, if Napoleon had had the makings of a great poet or philosopher they would hardly have developed the all-consuming lust for absolute power. Freedom gives us a chance to realize our human and individual uniqueness. Absolute power can also bestow uniqueness: to have absolute power is to have the power to reduce all the people around us to puppets, robots, toys, or animals, and be the only man in sight. Absolute power achieves uniqueness by dehumanizing others.

quote by Eric HofferReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The Old Man's Wish

If I live to be old, for I find I go down,
Let this be my fate: In a country town
May I have a warm house, with a stone at the gate,
And a cleanly young girl to rub my bald pate.
May I govern my passion with an absolute sway,
And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away,
Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay.

Near a shady grove, and a murmuring brook,
With the ocean at distance, whereupon I may look,
With a spacious plain without hedge or stile,
And an easy pad-nag to ride out a mile.
May I govern my passion with an absolute sway,
And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away,
Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay.

With Horace and Petrarch, and two or three more
Of the best wits that reign'd in the ages before,
With roast mutton, rather than ven'son or veal,
And clean though coarse linen at every meal.
May I govern my passion with an absolute sway,
And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away,
Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay.

With a pudding on Sundays, with stout humming liquor,
And remnants of Latin to welcome the vicar,
With Monte-Fiascone or Burgundy wine,
To drink the King's health as oft as I dine.
May I govern my passion with an absolute sway,
And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away,
Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay.

With a courage undaunted may I face my last day,
And when I am dead may the better sort say,
In the morning when sober, in the evening when mellow,
He's gone, and left not behind him his fellow.
May I govern my passion with an absolute sway,
And grow wiser and better as my strength wears away,
Without gout or stone, by a gentle decay.

poem by Anonymous AmericasReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Graham Greene

Point me out the happy man and I will point you out either egotism, selfishness, evil - or else an absolute ignorance.

quote by Graham GreeneReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Those who have the strength and the love to sit with a dying patient in the silence that goes beyond words will know that this moment is neither frightening nor painful, but a peaceful cessation of the functioning of the body.

quote by Elisabeth Kubler-RossReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share