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timeless phrase

Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An expression that seems to exist outside historical or temporal bounds

Detailed Definition
Timeless phrases achieve universality through mythic reference, simple diction, or eternal themes; they resist period specificity, aiming for resonance across ages by tapping into enduring human conditions and questions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Timeless phrase: “All shall be well, and all shall be well” (Julian of Norwich); “The moon has looked upon this sorrow before”; “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58); “Water returns to river, soul to star”; “This ache in my bones is older than language.”
Additional Notes
Timeless phrases exist beyond history: “I am; I was; I shall be”; they evoke myth, eternity, or universal truth; use repetition, archaic diction, and cyclical imagery; avoid abstraction—anchor in concrete symbols: “the tide that never forgets”; related to eternal phrase, crystalline phrase, and transcendent phrase; ideal for poems of legacy, nature, or spiritual continuity.
Also Known As
eternal expression timeless utterance unchanging phrase eternal phrase
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