When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.
Stephen CraneRead
Philosophy should always know that indifference is a militant thing. It batters down the walls of cities and murders the women and children amid the flames and the purloining of altar vessels. When it goes away it leaves smoking ruins, where lie citizens bayonetted through the throat. It is not a children's pastime like mere highway robbery.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Indifference can lead to devastating consequences and destruction in society.
In this quote, Stephen Crane emphasizes the dangers of indifference, suggesting that it is not a passive state but an active force that contributes to violence and destruction. The metaphor of indifference as a militant entity illustrates how its prevalence can result in catastrophic outcomes, showing that apathy towards suffering leads to real harm in the world.
Themes
IndifferenceViolenceDestructionSocietyApathyCruelty
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech about the importance of social responsibility.
More from Stephen Crane
All quotes →I saw a man pursuing the horizon
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Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within.
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Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments.
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Tell her this And more,— That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. The bustling fates Heap his hands with corpses Until he stands like a child With surplus of toys.
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Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.
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