Batter my heart (Holy Sonnet 14) Quotes
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Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
Context
The opening line of Donne's "Holy Sonnet 14" is one of the most famous apostrophes in literature.
The speaker begins by asking God (along with Jesus and the Holy Ghost; together, they make up the "three-personed God") to attack his heart. If you're caught up on the word "batter," keep in mind that back in the day, in order to break down the door of a fortress or castle, you'd have to use a battering ram (i.e., a huge pole of wood).
Want more deets on these verses? We've got you covered.
Where you've heard it
People don't tend to ask the Trinity to "batter" their hearts so poetically, but the desire for God to come to a person is definitely a common one.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Depends who you're asking to batter your heart.