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.
I'll tell you something of the forbidden horrors she led me into - something of the age-old horrors that even now are festering in out-of-the-way corners with a few monstrous priests to keep them alive. Some people know things about the universe that nobody ought to know, and can do things that nobody ought to be able to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the dangers of forbidden knowledge and the horrors that come with understanding the unknown.
In this quote, Lovecraft explores the theme of forbidden knowledge and the eerie consequences that arise from delving into cosmic secrets. It suggests that there are truths about the universe that can lead to madness or despair, overshadowed by dark figures who preserve this knowledge, creating a chilling atmosphere of dread and curiosity. It serves as a warning about the pursuit of knowledge that transcends human limits and the existential fears tied to our understanding of the cosmos.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a university lecture on the dangers of unrestricted scientific inquiry.
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.
Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.
The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.
No new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace.
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.
Similar quotes
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On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only disguised ambition - which despises small interests to gain great ones.
We've learned how to destroy, but not to create; how to waste, but not to build; how to kill men, but not how to save them; how to die, but seldom how to live.
If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there: first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had expected to see there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.
God’s purpose is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”2 That is fundamental to all we do. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we find fascinating or become so consumed by mundane responsibilities that we lose sight of God’s objectives. As you consistently focus your life on the most basic principles, you will gain an understanding of what you are to do, and you will produce more fruit for the Lord and more happiness for yourself.
One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory.