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Death is the only thing we haven't succeeded in completely vulgarizing.
Aldous Huxley
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Death remains a profound and complex subject that society struggles to simplify or normalize.

In this quote, Aldous Huxley suggests that death is a unique phenomenon that eludes full understanding or trivialization by society. Unlike many aspects of life that can be easily discussed or commercialized, death retains a sense of mystery and reverence, reminding us of its significance and our limitations in confronting it.

Themes

DeathPhilosophyLifeUnderstandingMystery

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the complexity of human experience, one might quote Huxley to highlight the challenges of talking about mortality.

More from Aldous Huxley

To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
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Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
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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.
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On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
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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.
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The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
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