There are horrors beyond life's edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man's evil prying calls them just within our range.
H. P. LovecraftRead
Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the cyclical nature of rise and fall in human existence.
H. P. Lovecraft's quote delves into the uncertainties of life, suggesting that no state is permanent. It highlights the idea that fortunes can change drastically; that what once thrived may perish, and what seems lost can resurface. The imagery of decay and loathsomeness evokes a sense of inevitable decline, even in human accomplishments, while leaving the door open for renewal and rebirth, capturing the essence of the human condition and the dark cycles of existence.
Themes
ChangeCyclesRise And FallDecayUncertainty
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the unpredictability of life during a lecture on philosophy.
More from H. P. Lovecraft
All quotes →I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.
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No new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace.
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I am, indeed, an absolute materialist so far as actual belief goes; with not a shred of credence in any form of supernaturalism—religion, spiritualism, transcendentalism, metempsychosis, or immortality.
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