Of course his dust would be absorbed in other living things and to that degree at least he would exist again, though it was plain enough that the specific combination which was he would never exist again.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the idea of life, death, and the continuity of existence through nature's cycles.
Gore Vidal's quote encapsulates the philosophical notion that while an individual's unique identity ceases to exist after death, their physical elements become part of the ongoing cycle of life. It suggests a form of immortality through nature, where one's essence is transformed and integrated into other living beings, highlighting the interconnectedness of all life.
In practice
In a eulogy, to express the idea that our loved ones live on through nature.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
The more administrative machinery we construct, be it the most modern, the less place there is for the Spirit, the less place there is for the Lord, and the less freedom there is. It is my opinion that we ought to begin an unsparing examination of conscience on this point at all levels in the Church.
You can always cope with the present moment, but you cannot cope with something that is only a mind projection - you cannot cope with the future.
Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven in pity and compassion upon me thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before thee.
I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.
Any conception of a god that is less than sovereign is an idol and no god at all.
The overwhelming pressure of mechanization evident in the newspaper and the magazine, has led to the creation of vast monopolies of communication. Their entrenched positions involve a continuous, systematic, ruthless destruction of elements of permanence essential to cultural activity.
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