There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
The Civil War is not ended: I question whether any serious civil war ever does end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Civil War remains a lasting conflict that influences society, suggesting that such wars have long-lasting effects.
T.S. Eliot's quote reflects the idea that civil wars are not merely historical events that conclude with a treaty or victory; instead, they leave deep divides and unresolved issues within a society. The statement posits that the ramifications of a civil war persist long after the fighting has stopped, indicating that the underlying conflicts may continue to affect future generations, unresolved grievances, and social dynamics.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the impact of historical wars on modern society, this quote could highlight how past conflicts shape current issues.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
Similar quotes
One thing 'not right' on the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches is the sad fact that the Edmund Pettus Bridge hasn't been renamed the John Lewis Bridge.
History knows no scruples and no hesitation. Inert and unnering flows towards her goal. History knows herway. She makes no mistakes.
Thus ended the great American Civil War, which must upon the whole be considered the noblest and least avoidable of all the great mass conflicts of which till then there was record.
Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same.
Like Israel, New York City's history has been defined by immigrants who come in search of freedom and the opportunity to build a better life. And like Israel, New York City has remained a target for terrorists who seek to destroy that freedom
Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, he began at the moment that it broke out, believing that it would be a great war, and more memorable than any that had preceded it.