Quotation by

Anne Lamott

The earth is rocky and full of roots it's clay, and it seems doomed and polluted, but you dig little holes for the ugly shriveled bulbs, throw in a handful of poppy seeds, and cover it all over, and you know you'll never see it again - it's death and clay

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

The passage describes the harsh reality of planting in difficult, unwelcoming soil that appears lifeless and dirty, symbolizing the inevitability of death and decay. Despite this, the act of planting seeds and bulbs is an acceptance of mortality, acknowledging that growth and life emerge from what seems like death and dirt.

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When we are dealing with death we are constantly being dragged down by the event: Humor diverts our attention and lifts our sagging spirits.
I start thinking about life after death. I've got to quit thinking about it because it's very deep. Very deep. Sometimes you start thinking about it, and you don't feel like you want to be alive, so …
What we think of as our sensitivity is only the higher evolution of terror in a poor dumb beast. We suffer for nothing. Our own death wish is our only real tragedy.

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So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to …
I'm not on the run from anything and I'm not at all clear about what I'm running towards. But as some great writer put it, I want to be certain that when I arrive at death, I'm totally exhausted.
Planning to play: that's what saving for retirement is today - and it is antithetical to the nature of play, fully within the definition of work, and blissfully ignorant of the reality of death.