No machines will ever truly fully figure the brain out, because the brain's performance is constantly altered or else constrained by this inanimate, rogue artifact you can't control, namely, speech.
Tom WolfeRead
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, old people in America had prayed, "Please God, don't let me look poor." In the year 2000, they prayed, "Please God, don't let me look old." Sexiness was equated with youth, and youth ruled. The most widespread age-related disease was not senility but juvenility.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights society's changing perceptions of aging, prioritizing appearance over wisdom.
Tom Wolfe's quote explores the evolving cultural attitude towards aging in America, contrasting the prayers of the past, which expressed a desire to avoid poverty, with those of the present, which reflect a fear of looking old. This shift suggests that sex appeal has come to be associated primarily with youth, indicating a broader societal obsession with physical appearance that often sidelines the value and wisdom that come with age.
Themes
AgingYouthAppearanceSocietyWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could serve as a thoughtful reflection in a social discussion about beauty standards in modern society.
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