The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
The past grows gradually around one, like a placenta for dying.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The past envelops us as we approach death, much like a protective layer created during childbirth.
John Berger's quote suggests that as we nearing the end of our lives, our past experiences and memories accumulate and surround us, creating a sense of comfort and familiarity, similar to how a placenta nurtures and supports a developing fetus. This metaphor highlights the relationship between life, death, and the integral role that our history plays in shaping our final moments.
Themes
PastMemoryLifeDeathGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, one might refer to this quote to illustrate the importance of memories at the end of life.
More from John Berger
All quotes βUnlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
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We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
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The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
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Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
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Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
John BergerRead
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