There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
The Civil War is not ended: I question whether any serious civil war ever does end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Civil War remains a lasting conflict that influences society, suggesting that such wars have long-lasting effects.
T.S. Eliot's quote reflects the idea that civil wars are not merely historical events that conclude with a treaty or victory; instead, they leave deep divides and unresolved issues within a society. The statement posits that the ramifications of a civil war persist long after the fighting has stopped, indicating that the underlying conflicts may continue to affect future generations, unresolved grievances, and social dynamics.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the impact of historical wars on modern society, this quote could highlight how past conflicts shape current issues.
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
Similar quotes
Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.
Like Israel, New York City's history has been defined by immigrants who come in search of freedom and the opportunity to build a better life. And like Israel, New York City has remained a target for terrorists who seek to destroy that freedom
My original interest in the Nazi holocaust was personal. Both my father and mother were survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Nazi concentration camps. Apart from my parents, every family member on both sides was exterminated by the Nazis.
It is like writing history with lightning and my only regret is that it is all so terribly true.
Negroes could be sold - actually sold as we sell cattle, with no reference to calves or bulls or recognition of family. It was a nasty business. The white South was properly ashamed of it and continually belittled and almost denied it. But it was a stark and bitter fact.
It was necessary, as a black historian, to have a personal agenda.