Controlled hysteria is what's required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It's agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing.
Arthur MillerRead
Immortality is like trying to carve your initials in a block of ice in the middle of July.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pursuit of immortality is both futile and transient, much like trying to mark something in a temporary state.
In this quote, Arthur Miller illustrates the futility of attempting to achieve immortality, symbolized by the act of carving initials in ice during a hot summer. The ice, much like life itself, is temporary and subject to natural forces, representing how efforts to leave a lasting mark can be rendered meaningless by the passage of time and circumstances. It invites reflection on the nature of legacy and the inevitability of mortality.
Themes
ImmortalityFutilityLegacyMortalityExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to inspire students about living meaningful lives rather than seeking fame.
More from Arthur Miller
All quotes βThe word "now" is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks.
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Amos Oz is one of the finest novelists of this entire period. MY MICHAEL is a beautiful work of great depth and in some indescribable way lingers in the mind as a lyric song to his country's people as much as a moving love story.
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Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.
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Oh,Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer.
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The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds came home to roost.
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