Unknown. The Bitter Withy

Famous quotes containing the words unknown, bitter and/or withy:

    The process of discovery is very simple. An unwearied and systematic application of known laws to nature causes the unknown to reveal themselves.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between bitter resentment and raw-edged nerves, and blissful gratification and tenderness. Sometimes I seem to myself, in my feelings toward these tiny guiltless beings, a monster of selfishness and intolerance.
    Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)

    ‘Oh the withy, the withy, the bitter withy
    That has caused me to smart,
    The withy shall be the very first tree
    Fort to perish all at the heart.’
    —Unknown. The Bitter Withy (l. 31–34)