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.
H. P. LovecraftRead
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
Forbidden KnowledgeHorrorUniverseCosmicMadness
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.
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Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.
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The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.
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No new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace.
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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.
H. P. LovecraftRead
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