It has always seemed to me that so long as you produce your dramatic effect, accuracy of detail matters little. I have never striven for it and I have made some bad mistakes in consequence. What matter if I hold my readers?
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
What is the meaning of it, Watson? said Holmes solemnly as he laid down the paper. "What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the search for meaning behind suffering and chaos in life.
In this quote, Sherlock Holmes contemplates the pervasive suffering and violence in the world, expressing a desire for understanding the underlying purpose of such chaos. He suggests that if there is no ultimate reason behind these hardships, it would imply that life is governed by randomness, a notion he finds unacceptable. This highlights the human quest for meaning and the philosophical dilemma of deriving purpose from the world's complexities.
Themes
MeaningSufferingViolencePhilosophyPurpose
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on existential philosophy, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of seeking meaning in life.
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I could not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London unchallenged.
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It seems very strange ... that in the course of the world's history so obvious an improvement should never have been adopted. ... The next generation of Britishers would be the better for having had this extra hour of daylight in their childhood.
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