And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
You frighten me, when you say there isn't time." "I don't see why. Christians have been expecting the imminent end of the world for millennia." "But it keeps not ending." "So far, so good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the human tendency to fear the unknown and the paradox of anticipating the end of the world without it actually arriving.
In this exchange, the speakers discuss the fear associated with the idea of time running out, especially concerning existential beliefs about the impending end of the world. The dialogue highlights the irony of humanity's long-standing expectation of an apocalypse, which has not materialized, suggesting that despite ongoing fears and anxieties, life continues and there is much to value in the present.
Themes
FearTimeExistenceApocalypseContinuation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about existential philosophy during a university lecture.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Orson Scott CardRead
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
Orson Scott CardRead
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
Orson Scott CardRead
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
Orson Scott CardRead
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Orson Scott CardRead
Similar quotes
Our tolerance for forms of religious expression we disagree with is a precise barometer of our own spiritual security.
Lawrence KushnerRead
The lawyer's truth is not Truth, but consistency or a consistent expediency.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Grace is the seed of glory, the dawning of glory in the heart, and therefore grace is the earnest of the future inheritance.
Jonathan EdwardsRead
We had a big controversy in the United States when there was a limited number of dialysis machines. In Seattle, they appointed what they called a 'God committee' to choose who should get it, and that committee was eventually abandoned. Society ended up paying the whole bill for dialysis instead of having people make those decisions.
Ezekiel EmanuelRead
These decrees of yours are no different from spiders' webs. They'll restrain anyone weak and insignificant who gets caught in them, but they'll be torn to shreds by people with power and wealth.
AnacharsisRead
I am never less alone than when alone.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead