Through every rift of discovery some seeming anomaly drops out of the darkness, and falls, as a golden link into the great chain of order.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
Death is a great revealer of what is in a man, and in its solemn shadow appear the naked lineaments of the soul.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Death uncovers the true essence of a person, revealing their inner character and values.
This quote suggests that the inevitability of death brings forth the most genuine aspects of a person's character. In the face of mortality, superficial qualities fade away, and what truly defines a person—their virtues, values, and inner spirit—becomes evident. It implies that the awareness of death can lead individuals to confront their inner selves and reflect on their true nature.
Themes
DeathSoulCharacterTruthMortality
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, this quote can be used to reflect on the deceased's inner qualities.
More from Edwin Hubbel Chapin
All quotes →Revolution does not insure progress. You may overturn thrones, but what proof that anything better will grow upon the soil?
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
Do not ask if a man has been through college; ask if a college has been through him; if he is a walking university.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
Goodness consists not in the outward things we do, but in the inward thing we are.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
Tomorrow may never come to us. We do not live in tomorrow. We cannot find it in any of our title-deeds. The man who owns whole blocks of real estate, and great ships on the sea, does not own a single minute of tomorrow. Tomorrow! It is a mysterious possibility, not yet born. It lies under the seal of midnight-behind the veil of glittering constellations.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings there as easily as a star.
Edwin Hubbel ChapinRead
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