Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote these words in his poem “Go to the Limits of Your Longing,” in which he expresses a hopeful view of the human experience. Trying to avoid pain in pursuit of only happiness is a fruitless endeavor, he suggests, and in fact our most profound joys are only made sweeter in contrast to the bitterness we all experience. Rilke encourages us to dive headfirst into life, and to never stop fully living, no matter what comes our way.