Knowledge is simply a kind of fuel; it needs the motor of understanding to convert it into power.
John WyndhamRead
To deprive a gregarious creature of companionship is to maim it, to outrage its nature. The prisoner and the cenobite are aware that the herd exists beyond their exile; they are an aspect of it. But when the herd no longer exists, there is, for the herd creature, no longer entity, a part of no whole; a freak without a place. If he cannot hold on to his reason, then he is lost indeed; most utterly, most fearfully lost, so that he becomes no more than the twitch in the limb of a corpse.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the deep need for social connection in human nature and the profound consequences of isolation.
John Wyndham's quote expresses the intrinsic nature of humans as social beings, asserting that depriving them of companionship can lead to a loss of identity and purpose. He emphasizes that without a community or 'herd' to belong to, individuals can feel like mere shadows of themselves, reduced to a state of fear and disorientation, akin to a corpse without life or meaning.
Themes
CompanionshipIsolationIdentityCommunityNatureSocialConnection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about mental health to emphasize the importance of social connections.
More from John Wyndham
All quotes →I don't think it had ever occurred to me that man's supremacy is not primarily due to his brain, as most of the books would have one think. It is due to the brain's capacity to make use of the information conveyed to it by a narrow band of visible light rays. His civilization, all that he had achieved or might achieve, hung upon his ability to perceive that range of vibrations from red to violet. Without that, he was lost.
John WyndhamRead
Knowing makes all the difference... It's the difference between just trying to keep alive, and having something to live for
John WyndhamRead
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