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I tell you what's really ridiculous--going into a bookstore and there's all these books about yourself. In a way, it feels like you're already dead.
Thom Yorke
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the existential discomfort of seeing one's biography or stories in books, evoking feelings of detachment from life.

Thom Yorke's quote captures the peculiar sensation of encountering numerous books about oneself, which can evoke an unsettling realization of one's own mortality and legacy. It hints at the surreal experience of feeling like a spectator to one's life, as if one's experiences and identity are being cataloged while one remains detached from them, leading to a poignant reflection on existence and self-perception.

Themes

ExistenceMortalityIdentitySelfBooksDetachment

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the impact of autobiographies on the concept of identity.

More from Thom Yorke

We weren't listening to guitar bands, we were thoroughly ashamed of being a guitar band. So we bought loads of keyboards and learned how to use them, and when we got bored we went back to guitars.
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I'm achingly aware of my own limitations as both part of the human race and as an individual. I'm just, casting this out that, maybe, I'm not so perfect as is the affront I oft put on. After all, the lyric is 'I wish I was special'. I truly just want to be loved and accepted, I think, like all humans.
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There's a pervading sense of loneliness I've had since the day I was born. Maybe a lot of other people feel the same way, but I'm not about to run up and down the street asking everybody if they're as lonely as I am. I'd probably get locked up.
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People in bands don't have the kind of conversations people might think they have. The best things about being in a band are the things that are unsaid.
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I don't think young people are as demoralized as the media and government would like us to think. The obvious sign of that is how strong and how close personal connections are and how much people are able to build a life for themselves, despite all this stuff that's been thrown at them.
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We're at a time when we are being presented with undeniable changes in the global climate and fundamental issues that affect every single one of us, and it's the time we're listening to the most hokey shite on the radio and watching vacuous bullshit celebrities being vacuous bullshit celebrities and desperately trying to forget about everything. Which is fine, you know, but personally speaking, I can't do that.
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