Death and the devil, what are these to him? His being accuses him - and yet his face is firm In resolution, in absolute persistence; The folds of smiling do for steadiness; The face is its own fate - a man does what he must - And the body underneath it says: I am.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A man faces death or evil with a firm face and a simple assertion of existence.
- In plain terms
- Even when accused, a man stands firm and just says he exists.
- What can you take from it?
- Stand firm in your existence when judged.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you face judgment?
- What defines your being?
Another view
It overlooks that sometimes persistence is futile.
More from Randall Jarrell
His eye a ring inside a ring inside a ring That leers up, joyless, vile, in meek obscenity - This is the devil. Flesh to flesh, he bleats The herd back to the …
Permalink to quote #19 President Robbins was so well adjusted to his environment that sometimes you could not tell which was the environment and which was President Robbins.
Permalink to quote #21 Somewhere there must be Something that's different from everything. All that I've never thought of - think of me!
Permalink to quote #18
Related quotes
That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.
Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker quote #6 Thy praise or dispraise is to me alike; One doth not stroke me, nor the other strike.
Ben JonsonBen Jonson quote #23 You may be whatever you resolve to be.
Thomas JacksonThomas Jackson quote #26