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The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, peculiar to myself and to a few other solitary men, is the central and inevitable fact of human existence.
Tom Wolfe
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Loneliness is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, affecting everyone rather than just a select few.

In this quote, Tom Wolfe emphasizes that loneliness is not an isolated experience limited to a few individuals, but rather a universal condition that is central to human existence. He suggests that understanding this truth can reshape our perception of solitude and help us accept it as a common part of life, rather than something to be ashamed of or to fear.

Themes

LonelinessHuman ExistenceSolitudeExperienceNature

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on human psychology, one might cite this quote to illustrate the widespread nature of loneliness.

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I have discovered that for me - now, maybe it doesn't work for everybody - for me, it is much more effective to arrive at any situation as a man from Mars than to try to fit in.
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There has been a time on earth when poets had been young and dead and famous - and were men. But now the poet as the tragic child of grandeur and destiny had changed. The child of genius was a woman, now, and the man was gone.
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To me, the great joy of writing is discovering. Most writers are told to write about what they know, but I still love the adventure of going out and reporting on things I don't know about.
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Quote by Tom Wolfe | QuoteProject