Zombies are apocalyptic. I think that's why people love them because we're living in, not apocalyptic times, but I think we're living in fear of the apocalyptic times.
Max BrooksRead
The dead walk among us. Zombies, ghouls-no matter what their label-these somnambulists are the greatest threat to humanity, other than humanity itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the real danger to humanity comes more from ourselves than from any external threats, symbolized here by zombies and ghouls.
Max Brooks uses the metaphor of zombies and ghouls to illustrate how the mindless actions and destructive behaviors of humanity can be seen as a greater threat to our existence than any fictional monsters. The 'dead' represent those who have lost their humanity, suggesting that societal apathy and moral decay pose the biggest risks to civilization. Ultimately, Brooks reminds us that we must confront our own shortcomings to safeguard our future.
Themes
HumanityThreatSelf-DestructionMetaphorApathy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about societal issues and human behavior.
More from Max Brooks
All quotes βSimilar quotes
I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and I was alone - terribly alone in a world without God and without (hu)man(ity).
Elie WieselRead
I like to question cultural biases wherever I go, and I question Islamophobia as much as I question anti-western sentiment because I think all extremist ideologies are very similar.
Elif SafakRead
If we divine a discrepancy between a man's words and his character, the whole impression of him becomes broken and painful; he revolts the imagination by his lack of unity, and even the good in him is hardly accepted.
Charles Horton CooleyRead
ROMANCE, n. Fiction that owes no allegiance to the God of Things as They Are. In the novel the writer's thought is tethered to probability, but in romance it ranges at will over the entire region of the imagination . . .
Ambrose BierceRead
Every man who steeps himself in the spiritual possibilities of his heart is a valuable helper in the building of the spiritual pyramid which will someday reach to heaven.
Wassily KandinskyRead
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams, or dreaming if not interpreting our wake?
Jonathan Safran FoerRead