There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the existential and often fearful nature of human existence, symbolized by something as seemingly insignificant as dust.
T. S. Eliot's quote, 'I will show you fear in a handful of dust,' suggests that fear can stem from the most mundane and overlooked aspects of life. It encapsulates the idea that even in the simplest elements of our existence, such as dust, lies a profound complexity that evokes a deep sense of anxiety and contemplation about mortality, meaning, and the human condition.
Themes
FearExistenceMortalityDustMeaningHuman Condition
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about existentialism, one could use this quote to illustrate the underlying fears present in everyday life.
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.
T. S. EliotRead
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
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.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
Similar quotes
The Great Spirit will not make me suffer because I am ignorant. He will put me in a place where I shall be better off than in this world.
Red CloudRead
The river was mild and leisurely, going away from the people who ate shadows for breakfast and steam for lunch and vapors for supper.
Ray BradburyRead
Even if there were only two men left in the world and both of them saints they wouldn't be happy. One them would be bound to try and improve the other. That is the nature of things.
Frank O'ConnorRead
International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his protection money. You have to have obedience; otherwise, the idea can spread that you don't have to listen to the orders, and it can spread to important places.
Noam ChomskyRead
The American War of Independence is the expulsion of the intrusive elements, alien to the American essence. If American reality is the reinvention of itself, whatever is found in any way irreducible or unassimilable is not American.
Octavio PazRead
Envy is one of the great enemies of active spirituality. It keeps us from loving our neighbours, from functioning with others in community, and from affirming people's unique worth. It also steals contentment from the heart. Is there anything or anyone you are envious of?
Charles R. SwindollRead