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Why, who shall talk of shrines, of sceptres riven?
It is too sad to think on what we are,
When from its height afar
A world sinks thus; and yon majestic Heaven
Shines not the less for that one vanish'd star!

— Felicia Hemans

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Space

More quotes by Felicia Hemans

The breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rock-bound coast,
And the woods against a stormy sky
Their giant branches tossed.

The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers (1826)

Gird your hearts with silent fortitude, Suffering, yet hoping all things.

Calm on the bosom of thy God,
Fair spirit, rest thee now!

The Siege of Valencia (1823)

"Passing away" is written on the world and all the world contains.

The woodman's axe lies free,
And the reaper's work is done.

All Felicia Hemans quotes →

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Since, in the long run, every planetary society will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring — not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive.

Carl Sagan Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994)

The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Nature (1836)

Her blue eyes sought the west afar,
For lovers love the western star.

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.

Arthur Koestler The Act of Creation (1964)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Felicia Hemans (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.