“If I am destined to be happy with you here—how short is the longest Life—I wish to believe in immortality—I wish to live with you for ever.” Longing for eternity in the face of brief earthly happiness · Letter to Fanny Brawne, 1819 Immortality Love Time
“Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced—even a Proverb is no Proverb to you till your Life has illustrated it.” Emphasising lived experience as the source of understanding · Letter to Benjamin Bailey, 22 November 1817 Memory Time Truth
