There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
To believe in the supernatural is not simply to believe that after living a successful, material, and fairly virtuous life here one will continue to exist in the best-possible substitute for this world, or that after living a starved and stunted life here one will be compensated with all the good things one has gone without: it is to believe that the supernatural is the greatest reality here and now.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Believing in the supernatural means recognizing its significance and reality in our current life, not merely as a reward or punishment after death.
T. S. Eliot's quote emphasizes that faith in the supernatural should not be limited to the expectation of an afterlife or compensation for our earthly struggles. Instead, it suggests that the supernatural holds a profound relevance in our everyday existence, impacting how we experience reality and perceive the world around us.
Themes
SupernaturalBeliefRealityExistenceLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of belief and spirituality during a philosophy class.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes →Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
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I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
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If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
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For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
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