My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
To suspect your own mortality is to know the beginning of terror, to learn irrefutably that you are mortal is to know the end of terror.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acknowledging our mortality can be frightening, but truly understanding it brings peace.
This quote by Frank Herbert suggests that the fear of death often stems from the mere suspicion of our own mortality. However, when we come to terms with the undeniable truth of our mortality, this acceptance can liberate us from the fear that previously haunted us, leading to a deeper sense of peace and understanding.
Themes
MortalityFearAcceptanceLifePeace
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion on existentialism, this quote can be used to illustrate the relationship between fear and acceptance of mortality.
More from Frank Herbert
All quotes βIf you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
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It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
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The majority never has right on its side. Never, I say! That is one of these social lies against which an independent, intelligent men must wage war. Who is it that constitute the majority of the population in a country? Is it the clever folk, or the stupid? I don't imagine you will dispute the fact that at present the stupid people are in an absolutely overwhelming majority all the world over.
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History is neither written nor made without love or hate.
Theodor MommsenRead