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I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonably good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive The Sickness.
William S. Burroughs
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects on the experience of surviving a significant personal crisis and the transformation it brings.

In this quote, William S. Burroughs describes a profound awakening he experienced after surviving a tumultuous period referred to as 'The Sickness.' This experience left him with physical reminders of his struggles, yet he conveys a sense of calm and sanity, suggesting that overcoming adversity can lead to a new perspective on life, albeit with lasting effects.

Themes

SicknessAwakeningSurvivalTransformationAdversity

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about overcoming life challenges and emerging stronger.

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God save the Queen and a fascist regime … a flabby toothless fascism, to be sure. Never go too far in any direction, is the basic law on which Limey-Land is built. The Queen stabilizes the whole sinking shithouse and keeps a small elite of wealth and privilege on top. The English have gone soft in the outhouse. England is like some stricken beast too stupid to know it is dead. Ingloriously foundering in its own waste products, the backlash and bad karma of empire
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Quote by William S. Burroughs | QuoteProject