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I'm trying to have a moment o' existential dreed here, right? Crivens, it's a puir lookout if a man canna feel the chilly winds o' fate lashing aroound his netheres wi'out folks telling him he's deid, eh?
Terry Pratchett
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the struggle of confronting one's own mortality and existential dread.

In this quote, Terry Pratchett captures the feeling of existential dread that arises when one becomes acutely aware of their own mortality and the unpredictable nature of fate. The character expresses frustration at the societal tendency to dismiss these deep feelings, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and grappling with such profound experiences rather than ignoring them. Through this sentiment, Pratchett invites reflection on the human condition and the reality of facing life's uncertainties.

Themes

ExistentialDreadFateMortalityHuman Condition

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of addressing mental health and existential crises.

More from Terry Pratchett

And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.
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Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it.
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You can't trample infidels when you're a tortoise. I mean, all you could do is give them a meaningful look.
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Any fool could be a witch with a runic knife, but it took skill to be one with an apple corer.
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People look down on stuff like geography and meteorology, and not only because they're standing on one and being soaked by the other. They don't look quite like real science. But geography is only physics slowed down and with a few trees stuck on it, and meteorology is full of excitingly fashionable chaos and complexity. And summer isn't a time. It's a place as well. Summer is a moving creature and likes to go south for the winter.
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