Popular quotes: The meaning an history behind "The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things."
"The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and
greater things."
- Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) is considered one of the German language's
greatest 20th century poets. He was born in Prague (then part of the
Austro-Hungarian empire) and studied in Prague, Munich and Berlin. His
works in German include Das Stundenbuch (The Book
of Hours), written after visiting Russia; Die Sonnette an Orpheus
(Sonnets to Orpheus) and Duineser Elegien (Duion Elegies). He also
wrote about 400 poems in French dedicated to Valais in Switzerland, his homeland
of choice, where he died of leukemia at just 51 years of age.
More quotes by Rilke
This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love: the more
they give, the more they possess.
The only journey is the one within.
Love is like the measles. The older you get it, the worse the
attack.
I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each
protects the solitude of the other.
A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the...
read more
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
read more
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Judge rules unused Borders gift cards to be worthless(May 23 2013) Borders owes nothing to holders of roughly $210.5 million of gift cards that had not been used by the time the bookstore chain shut down, a Manhattan federal...
Full Story
