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...two thirds of all sorrow is homemade and, so far as the universe is concerned, unnecessary.
Aldous Huxley
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Much of our sadness is created by ourselves and is not needed in the grand scheme of life.

Aldous Huxley's quote suggests that a significant portion of our sorrow is self-generated and, from a universal standpoint, it is not essential. This idea invites us to reflect on the nature of our emotions and challenges us to recognize the role of our own thoughts and perspectives in crafting our experiences of joy and sorrow.

Themes

SorrowUnnecessaryHomemadeEmotionPerspective

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about mental health, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of addressing self-created sadness.

More from Aldous Huxley

To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
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Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
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In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
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On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
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No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
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The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
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