There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Humankind can't stand too much reality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often struggle to cope with the harsh truths of life.
T. S. Eliot's quote suggests that humanity has a natural tendency to avoid or deny uncomfortable realities. This notion highlights the psychological barriers people create to protect themselves from the often harsh truths of existence, implying that facing reality can be overwhelming and difficult.
Themes
RealityHumankindTruthPsychologyExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk on mental health, one might quote this to illustrate the challenges people face in confronting their issues.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes βHalf of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
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I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them allβ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
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Observation is so wide awake, and facts are being so rapidly added to the sum of human experience, that it appears as if the theorizer would always be in arrears, and were doomed forever to arrive at imperfect conclusion; but the power to perceive a law is equally rare in all ages of the world, and depends but little on the number of facts observed.
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He that accepts protection, stipulates obedience.
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