In the outworks of our lives, we were almost strangers, but we shared a certain outlook on human life and human destiny, which, from the very first, made a bond of extreme strength . At our very first meeting, we talked with continually increasing intimacy. We seemed to sink through layer after layer of what was superficial, till gradually both reached the central fire. It was an experience unlike any other that I have known. We looked into each other's eyes, half appalled and half intoxicated to find ourselves together in such a region. The emotion was as intense as passionate love, and at the same time all-embracing. I came away bewildered, and hardly able to find my way among ordinary affairs. Bertrand Russell
About This Quote

This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson was written shortly after the poet first met the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two men were worlds apart in their backgrounds and social status, but they had one thing in common: They shared an intense connection that was both passionate and all-encompassing. It is apparent that each man’s life was changed forever by their meeting. Ralph Waldo Emerson goes on to say, "I came away bewildered, and hardly able to find my way among ordinary affairs." This statement shows how profound the influence of his meeting with Rodin was.

Source: Portraits From Memory And Other Essays

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