Quote by George Eliot
There is something sustaining in the very agitation that accompanies the first shocks of trouble, just as an acute pain is often a stimulus, and produces an excitement which is transient strength. It is in the slow, changed life that follows--in the time when sorrow has become stale, and has no longer an emotive intensity that counteracts its pain--in the time when day follows day in dull unexpectant sameness, and trial is a dreary routine--it is then that despair threatens; it is then that the peremptory hunger of the soul is felt, and eye and ear are strained after some unlearned secret of our existence, which shall give to endurance the nature of satisfaction.
Summary
This quote suggests that experiencing initial trouble or pain can be stimulating and invigorating, similar to how acute physical pain can temporarily increase our energy. However, it is during the slow and monotonous aftermath of sorrow, when its intensity has subsided, that despair becomes a looming threat. In this state, the soul yearns for something beyond endurance, a mysterious understanding of our existence that can transform the endurance of suffering into a source of fulfillment. It highlights the significance of finding meaning and purpose in life's challenges to avoid falling into despair.
By George Eliot
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