There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
People to whom nothing has ever happened cannot understand the unimportance of events.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that those who have not experienced significant events in their lives may fail to grasp their true insignificance.
T. S. Eliot's quote reflects on the nature of human experience, implying that individuals who have led uneventful lives may not appreciate the degree to which events can affect our perception of importance. In essence, it highlights how personal experiences shape our understanding and valuation of events, revealing that many occurrences may actually hold little significance in the grander scheme of life.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the value of life experiences, this quote could illustrate the differing perspectives of individuals based on their personal histories.
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.
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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.
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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That one plant should be sown and another be produced cannot happen; whatever seed is sown, a plant of that kind even comes forth.
In failing circumstances no one can be relied on to keep their integrity.
There is a fear of voluptuousness that is itself voluptuous, just as a certain fear of death can itself be deadly.
Wrath, unlike love, is not one of the intrinsic perfections of God. Rather, it is a function of God's holiness against sin. Where there is no sin, there is no wrath-but there will always be love in God. Where God in His holiness confronts His image-bearers in their rebellion, there must be wrath, or God is not the jealous God He claims to be, and His holiness is impugned. The price of diluting God's wrath is diminishing God's holiness.