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Everyone knew there were wolves in the mountains, but they seldom came near the village-the modern wolves were the offspring of ancestors that had survived because they had learned that human meat had sharp edges.
Terry Pratchett
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Humans often face dangers that are known but underestimated, suggesting that some threats evolve to become more subtle and insidious.

This quote by Terry Pratchett reflects the idea that while dangers are often acknowledged in theoretical terms, they can remain distant and thus less urgent until they manifest in a way that directly affects individuals. The 'modern wolves' symbolize threats that have adapted to survive amongst humans, implying that the potential for harm exists but may not be perceived as an immediate risk due to the way those threats have evolved. This serves as a reminder that we must remain vigilant and aware of the dangers that may lurk beyond our immediate environment.

Themes

WolvesDangerAwarenessEvolutionThreats

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about personal safety in a community meeting.

More from Terry Pratchett

And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.
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People look down on stuff like geography and meteorology, and not only because they're standing on one and being soaked by the other. They don't look quite like real science. But geography is only physics slowed down and with a few trees stuck on it, and meteorology is full of excitingly fashionable chaos and complexity. And summer isn't a time. It's a place as well. Summer is a moving creature and likes to go south for the winter.
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