"Sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, Ease after war, death after life does greatly please"
- Edmund Spenser
About this Quote
Edmund Spenser's quote suggests that there is a natural order to life where rest and calm follow struggle and challenge. Sleep is valued after toil, showing that one can only really appreciate the relief of rest after they have actually labored. In the very same way, a port after stormy seas is more valued because it represents security and stability. Similarly, ease after war is a relief for those who have actually endured conflict, and death after life is a supreme release from earthly struggles. Spenser's words remind us to value the moments of harmony and break in life, and that they are even more significant when they follow times of problem.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage"