There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Television connects people through shared entertainment but can also foster feelings of isolation.
T. S. Eliot highlights the paradox of television as a form of entertainment that has the potential to unite millions of viewers through shared experiences, such as laughter from the same joke. However, despite this connectivity, it can leave individuals feeling lonesome, as the shared experience does not equate to genuine connection or interaction among people.
Themes
TelevisionEntertainmentIsolationLaughterConnection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about media's impact on society, one might quote Eliot to illustrate the isolation that can come from entertainment.
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
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