By subscribing to Inspiring Quotes you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
This opening line of Edith Wharton’s dramatic monologue “Vesalius in Zante (1564)” feels like a breath of fresh air. Its speaker is Andreas Vesalius, a Spanish Inquisition-era anatomist who faced such backlash for his studies — scientific research was then forbidden — that, in despair, he burned his manuscripts and abandoned his calling. Vesalius could not bear a life of restricted inquiry forever, though. In his 50s he fled Spain for Jerusalem, yet on his way home was shipwrecked on a Greek island and died. Wharton’s poem, which imagines Vesalius’ final moments, ends as it begins, with a window: “Turn me in my bed. / The window darkens as the hours swing round; / But yonder, look, the other casement glows! / Let me face westward as my sun goes down.” Though the great man's life is ending, Wharton seems to say, it has been a satisfying one — defined, in the end, by truth and integrity.
20 Surprisingly Insightful Quotes From Children’s Movies
15 Quotes on Aging Gracefully
Our Top 23 Quotes of 2023
17 Quotes To Help You Embrace Imperfection
13 Quotes Every Stubborn Person Needs To Read
Quotes About Plants for Those With and Without Green Thumbs
Quotes for Those Who Struggle To Feel Joyful During the Holidays
15 Quotes To Remind You To Stop and Smell the Flowers
12 Funny Quotes From the Women of ‘SNL’
These “Monty Python” Quotes Are the True “Holy Grail”
11 Lighthearted Takes on Long-Term Relationships