In this quote by Fernando Pessoa, the idea of empowerment and self-reliance is portrayed through the metaphor of sitting under the sun and abdicating to be one's own king. This can be interpreted as a call to embrace one's own power and authority, to take control of one's own life and decisions. It encourages individuals to find strength and independence within themselves, rather than relying on external sources of validation or authority. The image of sitting under the sun suggests a sense of freedom and empowerment, basking in one's own sovereignty and autonomy. It's a reminder that each person has the potential to be their own ruler, to shape their own destiny.
In the quote by Fernando Pessoa, he encourages individuals to take control of their own lives and decisions rather than relying on others. This message of self-empowerment and independence is still relevant in modern times.
"“Sit under the sun abdicate and be your own king” - Fernando Pessoa"
This quote by Fernando Pessoa challenges us to take control of our own destiny and embrace our own power. Here are some reflection questions to consider:
“Sit still with me in the shade of these green trees, which have no weightier thought than the withering of their leaves when autumn arrives, or the stretching of their many stiff fingers into the cold sky of the passing winter. Sit still with me and meditate on how useless effort is, how alien the will, and on how our very meditation is no more useful than effort, and no more our own than the will. Meditate too on how a life that wants nothing can have no weight in the flux of things, but a life the wants everything can likewise have no weight in the flux of things, since it cannot obtain everything, and to obtain less than everything is not worthy of souls that seek the truth.”
“O night in which the stars feign light, O night that alone is the size of the Universe, make me, body and soul, part of your body, so that—being mere darkness—I’ll lose myself and become night as well, without any dreams as stars within me, nor a hoped-for sun shining with the future.”
“The unnatural and the strange have a perfume of their own”
“We never love anyone. What we love is the idea we have of someone. It's our own concept—our own selves—that we love.”
“Everything I sought in life I abandoned for the sake of the search. I'm like one who absentmindedly looks for he doesn't know what, having forgotten it in his dreaming as the search got under way.”
“I suffer from life and from other people. I can’t look at reality face to face. Even the sun discourages and depresses me. Only at night and all alone, withdrawn, forgotten and lost, with no connection to anything real or useful — only then do I find myself and feel comforted.”