Logo - Feel The Words

Fain Quotes

Archaic language exploring desire, memory, and will

The word 'fain,' meaning gladly or willingly, gives these quotes a formal, almost antique quality suited to weighty subjects. One passage explores how the will wishes to reshape the world only to find its deepest satisfaction in giving up that wish, while another calls for reconciliation between regions after a period of political division. For a different kind of reading experience, see Stack quotes.

Here, everything is tragic through and through, and the will, that fain would shape a world according to its wish, at last can reach no greater satisfaction than the breaking of itself in dignified annulment.

Quotes by Richard Wagner

The Republican party is not inflamed, as some would fain have the country believe, against the South. Its borders are wide enough for all truly loyal men to find within them peace and repose from the din and discord of...

Quotes by Hiram Rhodes Revels

In its entirety, probably, it follows us at every instant; all that we have felt, thought and willed from our earliest infancy is there, leaning over the present which is about to join it, pressing against the portals of consciousness...

Quotes by Henri Bergson

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the word 'fain' mean in these quotes?
It's an archaic term meaning gladly, willingly, or with a wish for something, giving these lines an older, more formal literary tone.
What subjects do these fain quotes cover?
They range from philosophical reflection on desire and the will, to political reconciliation after division, to how memory quietly persists beneath conscious thought.
Why does one quote mention Republicans and the South?
It reflects a historical call for national unity after a period of sectional conflict, arguing that a political party's aims did not extend to punishing an entire region.
Is there a common theme connecting these three quotes?
Each explores a kind of longing or pull, whether it's the will's desire to shape the world, a wish for political peace, or memory's persistent presence just below awareness.
Where can I find more reflective or literary quotes?
Take a look at Clarence Day quotes for more thoughtful, essay-style writing.

A third passage describes memory as something that lingers just outside conscious awareness, always pressing to be let back in. Explore Clarence Day quotes for more essayistic reflection.