Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation.
Walter BenjaminRead
We have long forgotten the ritual by which the house of our life was erected. But when it is under assault and enemy bombs are already taking their toll, what enervated, perverse antiquities do they not lay bare in the foundations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the forgotten foundations of our lives and the realization of their fragility during crises.
Walter Benjamin suggests that in times of crisis, we often uncover the underlying structures or beliefs that form the basis of our lives, which we may have long ignored or forgotten. The imagery of assault and enemy bombs serves to highlight the external pressures that compel us to confront these buried truths, exposing the outdated or damaging elements that lie beneath our existence.
Themes
LifeFoundationCrisisTruthBeliefs
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about resilience during tough times, this quote can highlight how crises reveal our core beliefs.
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If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the latter is lethal without spilling blood
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Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.
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Nothing is poorer than a truth expressed as it was thought. Committed to writing in such cases, it is not even a bad photograph. Truth wants to be startled abruptly, at one stroke, from her self-immersion, whether by uproar, music or cries for help.
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I am unpacking my library. Yes I am. The books are not yet on the shelves, not yet touched by the mild boredom of order.
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