All men have poetry in their hearts, and it is necessary for them, as much as possible, to express their feelings. For this they must have a medium, moving and pliant, which can refreshingly become their own, age after age. All great languages undergo change. Those languages which resist the spirit of change are doomed and will never produce great harvests of thought and literature. When forms become fixed, the spirit either weakly accepts its imprisonment or rebels. All revolutions consists of the 'within' fighting against invasion from 'without'... All great human movements are related to some great idea.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Human beings need to express inner feelings through flexible mediums like language. Rigid forms stifle creativity and lead to cultural stagnation.
- In plain terms
- People need ways to express feelings, and languages must change to stay alive.
- What can you take from it?
- Embrace change in language and forms to keep thought and literature vibrant.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What forms in your life feel fixed and limiting?
- How do you express your inner feelings?
Another view
Not all change leads to growth; some instability can destroy valuable traditions.
More from Rabindranath Tagore
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