He returns years later, has no demands. He wants only one, most precious thing: To see, purely and simply, without name, Without expectations, fears, or hopes, At the edge where there is no I or not-I.
CZESLAW MILOSZMen will clutch at illusions when they have nothing else to hold to.
More Czeslaw Milosz Quotes
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The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them.
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Two attributes of a poet, avidity of the eye and the desire to describe that which he sees.
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The death of a man is like the fall of a mighty nation That had valiant armies, captains, and prophets, And wealthy ports and ships all over the seas.
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At every sunrise I renounce the doubts of night and greet the new day of a most precious delusion.
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A man should not love the moon. An ax should not lose weight in his hand. His garden should smell of rotting apples, And grow a fair amount of nettles.
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When I curse Fate, it’s not me, but the earth in me.
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It’s true that what is morbid is highly valued today, and so you may think that I am only joking or that I’ve devised just one more means of praising Art with the help of irony.
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I liked beaches, swimming pools, and clinics for there they were the bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. I pitied them and myself, but this will not protect me. The word and the thought are over.
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All of us yearn for the highest wisdom, but we have to rely on ourselves in the end.
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I am composed of contradictions, which is why poetry is a better form for me than philosophy.
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I am not my own friend.Time cuts me in two.
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The child who dwells inside us trusts that there are wise men somewhere who know the truth.
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It is impossible to communicate to people who have not experienced it the undefinable menace of total rationalism.
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The purpose of poetry is to remind us how difficult it is to remain just one person, for our house is open, there are no keys in the doors, and invisible guests come in and out at will.
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All was taken away from you: white dresses, wings, even existence.
CZESLAW MILOSZ