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One thought alone preoccupies the submerged mind of Empire: how not to end, how not to die, how to prolong its era. By day it pursues its enemies. It is cunning and ruthless, it sends its bloodhounds everywhere. By night it feeds on images of disaster: the sack of cities, the rape of populations, pyramids of bones, acres of desolation.
J. M. Coetzee
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the relentless pursuit of power by an empire and its desperate attempts to avoid downfall.

J. M. Coetzee's quote explores the psyche of an empire that is consumed by fear of its own mortality and the lengths it will go to maintain its dominance. The imagery of relentless aggression during the day juxtaposed with a haunting reflection on disaster at night suggests a dual nature of empires: both a predator and a victim of its own aspirations, continually haunted by the consequences of its actions and the inevitable decline that awaits all great powers.

Themes

EmpirePowerMortalityDownfallFearDomination

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture about imperialism, one could reference this quote to illustrate the internal struggles of empires.

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He even knew the reason why: because enough men had gone off to war saying the time for gardening was when the war was over; whereas there must be men to stay behind and keep gardening alive, or at least the idea of gardening; because once that cord was broken, the earth would grow hard and forget her children. That was why.
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