Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.
Michel FaberRead
Total oblivion is the fate of almost everything in this world. I'm very likely to suffer that same fate; my work will probably not be remembered, and if any of it is, if any of those novels is fated to be one of those novels that is still being read 50 or 100 years after it was written, I've probably already written it.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the inevitability of being forgotten and the fleeting nature of legacy.
Michel Faber's quote explores the idea that most of human effort and creation will eventually fade into obscurity over time. He suggests that while he acknowledges the likelihood of his own work being forgotten, he also believes that if any of his novels are to endure, they have likely already been written. This contemplation invites a deeper discussion about the significance of our contributions and the transient nature of fame and recognition.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a literary discussion on the nature of art and immortality.
Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable.
Of course I know that the twins are only words on a page, and I'm certainly not the sort of writer who talks to his characters or harbours any illusions about the creative process. But at the same time, I think it's juvenile and arrogant when literary writers compulsively remind their readers that the characters aren't real. People know that already. The challenge is to make an intelligent reader suspend disbelief, to seduce them into the reality of a narrative.
The solution as consumers is - perhaps surprisingly - to take adverts very, very seriously. We should ask ourselves what it is that we find lovely in them - the visions of friendship, togetherness, repose, or whatever. And then consider what would actually help us find these qualities in our lives.
Our ancestors... purged their guilt by banishment, not death. And by so doing, they stopped that endless vicious cycle of murder and revenge.
When you see the earth from the moon, you don't see any divisions there of nations or states. _x000D_ This might be the symbol, really, for the new mythology to come. _x000D_ That is the country that we are going to be celebrating. _x000D_ And those are the people that we are one with.
I believe the moral losses of expediency always far outweigh the temporary gains.
Any effort to make the death penalty speedier and less costly - more 'efficient' - will inevitably make it less just.
No one wants growth, constant expansion, physical swelling. Growth is not a human value; it's a means to the ends of sufficiency and security. Once we have enough, no one wants more, unless it is sold to us as a cheap substitute for something else, something non-material.
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