There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
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
Civil WarConflictHistorySocietyUnresolved
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.
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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.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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We know from our recent history that English did not come to replace U.S. Indian languages merely because English sounded musical to Indians' ears. Instead, the replacement entailed English-speaking immigrants' killing most Indians by war, murder, and introduced diseases, and the surviving Indians' being pressured into adopting English, the new majority language.
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History is always changing behind us, and the past changes a little every time we retell it.
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