Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the themes of death and immortality, suggesting a circle of existence that gives rise to new fears and beliefs.
In this quote, Richard Matheson explores the complex relationship between death and the human experience. It implies that death not only ends life but also instills new fears and superstitions in those left behind, creating a cycle of existence where the legacy of the deceased continues to intimidate and haunt. The phrase 'I am legend' emphasizes the ongoing impact of those who have passed, potentially transforming them into enduring symbols of fear or reverence.
In practice
In a speech about overcoming fears, one might reference this quote to discuss how death shapes our beliefs.
β¦They think of suicide as a quick route to oblivion, an escape. Far from it. It merely alters a person from one form to another. Nothing can destroy the spirit. Suicide only precipitates a darker continuation of the same conditions from which escape was sought. A condition under circumstances so much more painful.
There is no sin nor wrong that gives man such a foretaste of Hell in this life as anger and impatience.
There is a spiritual hunger in the world today - and it cannot be satisfied by better cars on longer credit terms.
The good traveler has the gift of surprise.
Intention is not something you do, but rather a force that exists in the universe as an invisible field of energy, a power that can carry us.
Man is appealed to be guided in his acts, not merely by love, which is always personal, or at best tribal, but by his perception of his oneness with each human being. In the practice of mutual aid, which we can re-trace to the earliest beginnings of evolution, we thus find the positive and undoubted origin of our ethical conceptions; and we can affirm that in the ethical progress of man, mutual support- not mutual struggle- has had the leading part.
Truth is mysterious, elusive, always to be conquered. Liberty is dangerous, as hard to live with as it is elating. We must march toward these two goals, painfully but resolutely, certain in advance of our failings on so long a road.
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