Famous quote by T. S. Eliot

"It's strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words"

About this Quote

T.S. Eliot's quote supplies a profound reflection on the limitations and the need of language, especially in the context of revealing deep feelings like love. The comparison in between the insufficiency of words and an asthmatic's battle for breath evokes a sense of urgency and need despite intrinsic limitations.

Eliot starts by acknowledging the inherent insufficiency of words. Language, though humankind's most fine-tuned tool for communication, typically falls short when entrusted with capturing the entirety of human experience, particularly profound feelings and abstract concepts. Words can seem awkward when we try to equate the complexities of our feelings or the nuances of our inner worlds. This inadequacy can foster disappointment, as language can never ever completely encapsulate the depth or breadth of experiences that are extremely personal and deeply felt.

The simile comparing a fan to an asthmatic highlights the inevitability and necessary nature of this struggle. Just as an asthmatic need to have a hard time for breath to sustain life, a lover needs to face language to express their inmost emotions. Despite the insufficiencies, there is a fundamental drive to interact, to attempt articulation. This struggle ends up being a vital part of the human experience; the effort to explain in words love reflects an essential requirement to link and to make oneself comprehended to another.

Moreover, the imagery of battle in both contexts highlights the vulnerability fundamental in these human conditions. There is a raw, reviewed quality to somebody who is attempting to convey their love, just like someone fighting for breath. Both are essential undertakings-- breathing is to life as speaking love is to human connection.

In conclusion, Eliot's quote eloquently catches the paradox of language: its insufficiency and need. It is a tip of both the limitations we deal with in expressing our innermost experiences and the unrelenting human desire to transcend those limits in pursuit of connection and understanding.

About the Author

USA Flag This quote is written / told by T. S. Eliot between September 26, 1888 and January 4, 1965. He/she was a famous Poet from USA. The author also have 55 other quotes.
Go to author profile

Similar Quotes