There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to outcarol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain… Or so says the legend. . Colleen McCullough
About This Quote

Many of us believe that the ultimate purpose of life is to find happiness and to keep it. We may think that we can never be truly happy, and we go through life searching for some kind of external object we can grasp onto in order to make us feel fulfilled. Some people place more importance on money, while others set their sights on fame and power. The truth is that the right kind of happiness cannot be bought or given away.

It can only be achieved through struggle and sacrifice. Only through struggle, struggle alone, can we achieve the level of happiness that is rightfully ours.

Source: The Thorn Birds

Some Similar Quotes
  1. We accept the love we think we deserve. - Stephen Chbosky
  2. He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give... - Bob Marley
  3. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. - Suzanne Collins
  4. I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How... - Mother Teresa
  5. If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets. - Haruki Murakami
More Quotes By Colleen McCullough
  1. There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it...
  2. Belief doesn't rest on proof or existence...it rests on faith...without faith there is nothing.
  3. Suddenly the thought that the end of her life was imminent shocked him; it was one thing to pity someone he didn't know, quite another to face the same dilemma with someone he knew intimately. That was the trouble with beds. They turned strangers into...
  4. He owe his wife a debt he couldn't hope to pay with any coin save one: open the cage and let the bird fly.
  5. He hadn't wooed her, but had simply claimed her. A gold mine ready to dig. There should have been a period of quiet dinners together, of flowers rather than diamonds, of kisses given after permission to kiss, of a slow awakening that predisposed her to...
Related Topics