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.
12 Quotes To Help You Brush Off Little Mistakes
10 Quotes From People Who’ve Survived Tragedy
What It Means To Be a Leader, According to U.S. Presidents
Add a Dash of Laughter to Your Day With These Cooking Quotes
16 Quotes About the Practice of Not Giving Up
The Most Romantic Song Lyrics Ever Written
13 Hilariously Relatable Quotes From ‘Garfield’
Surprisingly Profound Quotes From the ‘Star Wars’ Universe
Quotes About Plants for Those With and Without Green Thumbs
11 Fiery Quotes for the Year of the Dragon
13 Reminders To Have Faith in Yourself