Favorite Inspirational Quotes

from “Maud Muller”

Alas for maiden, alas for judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!
God pity them both! And pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall:
For of all sad words of tongue or pen
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”
Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies
Deeply buried from human eyes;
And in the hereafter angels may
Roll the stone from its grave away!

John Greenleaf Whittier

Quite simply the whole poem is about regret and it is worth looking up to find the total poem. It is about being afraid to speak up or take action partially for fear of what others may think or say or for what we might potentially lose through taking the risk. Then you are faced with looking back and regretting the choices you made and the paths you didn’t take.

It is a sad thing to look back on your life and see regrets mostly because you didn’t do something. Maybe the lesson here is to go ahead and try; go ahead and risk.

Otherwise you’ll never know and only be able to look back with regret. Don’t fall into the 8-5, especially if your heart rebels against it, and arrive at life’s end never having done anything.

Live while you are here. Try out different things. Even if you fail at what you try, you will have experiences and knowledge. Experiences make up our lives.

Tags: Maud Muller