To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the idea that addiction can drive people to extreme actions, often overshadowing more noble motivations like patriotism or faith.
Aldous Huxley's quote underscores the destructive power of addiction, suggesting that many individuals have sacrificed their lives for substances like alcohol or drugs rather than for their beliefs or homeland. This observation prompts a reflection on the potent and often overlooked pull that addictions exert on individuals, contrasting with the traditional narratives around sacrifice for higher causes.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impacts of addiction on society, this quote could highlight the overlooked sacrifices made due to substance abuse.
More from Aldous Huxley
All quotes βFacts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
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.
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardor, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.
Similar quotes
Its big men are mostly little men with fancy offices and a lot of money. A great many of them are stupid little men, with reach-me-down brains, small-town arrogance and a sort of animal knack of smelling out the taste of the stupidest part of the public. They have played in luck so long that they have come to mistake luck for enlightenment." - on Hollywood
...there is one thing that all Satan's cunning and all the snares of temptation cannot take by surprise - an undivided will.
Whatever you do, good or bad, people will always have something negative to say
Yesterday is gone and took away its tale. _x000D_ Today we must live a fresh story again.
Religions are like fireflies. They require darkness in order to shine.
Which way you ought to go depends on where you want to get to.