The further off from England the nearer is to France-_x000D_ _x000D_ Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Lewis CarrollRead
And here Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, 'Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, 'Do bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much matter which way she put it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of questions and the perspectives we hold when faced with uncertainty.
In this whimsical passage from Lewis Carroll, Alice grapples with a nonsensical dilemma, exploring questions that ultimately lead nowhere. It illustrates the absurdity of questioning the unquestionable and highlights how our mental wanderings can sometimes lead us to contemplate meaningless topics when faced with uncertainty, emphasizing that sometimes the act of questioning is more significant than the answers themselves.
Themes
QuestionsUncertaintyAbsurdityCuriosityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the nature of inquiry at a philosophy seminar.
More from Lewis Carroll
All quotes →To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said 'I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head. Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be, Come and dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and me.
Lewis CarrollRead
So she was considering in her own mind...whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up & picking the daisies.
Lewis CarrollRead
Once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.
Lewis CarrollRead
Rule Forty-two. All persons more than a mile high to leave the court.
Lewis CarrollRead
Crawling at your feet,' said the Gnat (Alice drew her feet back in some alarm), `you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings are thin slices of Bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of sugar.' And what does IT live on?' Weak tea with cream in it.' A new difficulty came into Alice's head. `Supposing it couldn't find any?' she suggested. Then it would die, of course.' But that must happen very often,' Alice remarked thoughtfully. It always happens,' said the Gnat.
Lewis CarrollRead
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