Lust was a positive high-tension cable, plugged into my core, activating a near-epileptic seizure of conviction that this was the one thing I had to do in life.
Will SelfRead
Death, the real simile for disease - for when we are ill, do we not always feel like we are dying, even if it's only a little? - remains, despite our secularism, the most metaphoricised phenomenon of all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the relationship between illness and the perception of dying, suggesting that both evoke deep metaphorical meanings in our lives.
Will Self's quote explores the profound connection between the experience of illness and our existential fears surrounding death. It suggests that when we feel unwell, we are reminded of our mortality, experiencing a sensation akin to dying, even in minor sicknesses. Despite a societal tendency towards secularism and detachment from metaphysical concerns, the concept of death remains intricately woven into our understanding of life and health, serving as a powerful metaphor that transcends mere physical condition.
Themes
DeathIllnessMetaphorMortalityExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of chronic illness on mental health, this quote could underscore the emotional weight of feeling close to death.
More from Will Self
All quotes →When anyone starts out to do something creative - especially if it seems a little unusual - they seek approval, often from those least inclined to give it. But a creative life cannot be sustained by approval, any more than it can be destroyed by criticism - you learn this as you go on.
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What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of transcendence when we exclaim 'You know exactly what I mean!' depend for much of their force on the anonymous character of the intimacy between writer and reader.
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Sometimes, when I hear people without experience of addiction blame addicts for their behaviour, I feel like saying to them: 'You simply don't understand - how can a child be held responsible for doing such a dreadful thing to himself?' But then again, at other times I have to acknowledge: it was done wilfully.
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The marvellous thing about writing, whether it be fiction or journalism, is that it is simultaneously the most intimate and the most anonymous of meetings between people. It is profoundly intimate in reaching into the psyche of another, at the same time as being devoid of social characteristics, cultural characteristics, economic characteristics.
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One of the most heartening phenomena in today's Britain is the great diversity of the modern nerd - the nerd is out and proud, and while she may love 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' merchandise more than is strictly warranted, she is in every way to be cherished as an exemplar of cosmopolitanism and tolerance.
Will SelfRead
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