“The groves were God's first temple. Ere man learned To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave, And spread the roof above them,--ere he framed The lofty vault, to gather and roll back The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood, Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks And supplication.” MenFirstsSoundSilenceDown AndLaysSpreadWoodsThanksTemplesRoofSolemnLoftyFramedAnthemGroveVaultsSupplication Author:William C. Bryant
“There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change There was a strange stillness The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of scores of bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.” HeartAmericaSoundVoiceSilenceMorningFieldsStrangeSpringBirdAreasTownsHarmonyLaysWoodsDawnScoreStillnessSurroundingsChorusEcoMarshesBlight Author:Rachel Carson
“It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh... Even the streams were now lifeless... No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.” PeopleWorldDoneActionSoundVoiceSilenceEnemyMorningFieldsSpringBirdLaysWoodsDawnStreamsScoreNew LifeRebirthWitchcraftDoveChorusRobinsLifelessMarshesWrens Book:Silent Spring Source: Silent Spring
“Some men at the approach of a dispute neigh like horses. Unless there be an argument, they think nothing is doing. Some talkers excel in the precision with which they formulate their thoughts, so that you get from them somewhat to remember; others lay criticism asleep by a charm. Especially women use words that are not words,--as steps in a dance are not steps,--but reproduce the genius of that they speak of; as the sound of some bells makes us think of the bell merely, whilst the church chimes in the distance bring the church and its serious memories before us.” ThinkingMenUseRememberSpeakSoundChurchMemoriesStepsSeriousGeniusApproachArgumentCriticismHorseLaysDistanceCharmBellsDisputesPrecisionTalkersChimes Author:Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We may say that feelings have two kinds of intensity. One is the intensity of the feeling itself, by which loud sounds are distinguished from faint ones, luminous colors from dark ones, highly chromatic colors from almost neutral tints, etc. The other is the intensity of consciousness that lays hold of the feeling, which makes the ticking of a watch actually heard infinitely more vivid than a cannon shot remembered to have been heard a few minutes ago.” KindMayHas BeensTwoFeelingsSoundDarkConsciousnessWatchesHeardMinutesColorShotsLaysLoudRememberedEtcIntensityVividDistinguishedLuminousCannons Author:Charles Sanders Peirce
“The absolutist lays down the law, but the relativist hears only roaring and bawling. Or, when the relativist voice, as it is heard from philosophers such as Nietzsche or James, itself starts to grate and sounds shrill, as it often does, and when the relativist then offers concessions, the absolutist hears only insincerity. The war of words can often turn into a dialogue of the deaf, and this too if part of its power to arouse outrage and fury.” IfsDoeWarLawTurnsSoundVoiceHeardOffersLaysPhilosopherDialogueDeafFuryOutrageRoaringConcessionsInsincerityAbsolutismGrate Book:Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed: A Guide for the Perplexed Source: Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed: A Guide for the Perplexed