I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind

I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind

Whoever gives himself up to solitude,
Ah! he is soon alone.
[Ger., Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergiebt,
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Whoever gives himself up to solitude,
Ah! he is soon alone.
[Ger., Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergiebt,
Ach! der ist bald allein.]

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and read more

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of read more

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings: climb with me the steep,--
Nature's observatory--whence the dell,
In flowery slopes, its river's crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
'Mongst boughs pavilion'd, where the deer's swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the foxglove bell.

Nobody with me at sea but myself.

Nobody with me at sea but myself.

I am afraid to show you who I really am, because if I show you who I really am, you read more

I am afraid to show you who I really am, because if I show you who I really am, you might not like it--and that's all I got.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.

So vain is the belief
That the sequestered path has fewest flowers.

So vain is the belief
That the sequestered path has fewest flowers.

I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of read more

I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other