Behind every man now alive stand 30 ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- For every living person, there are thirty who have died before them.
- In plain terms
- The dead outnumber the living by thirty to one.
- What can you take from it?
- Reflect on the vast number of those who came before us.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does knowing the dead outnumber the living change your view?
- Who are the ghosts in your personal history?
Another view
Exact ratios are theoretical and vary by era.
More from Arthur C. Clarke
As our own species is in the process of proving, one cannot have superior science and inferior morals. The combination is unstable and self-destroying.
Permalink to quote #10 One of the biggest roles of science fiction is to prepare people to accept the future without pain and to encourage a flexibility of mind. Politicians should r…
Permalink to quote #12 Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal.
Permalink to quote #9
Related quotes
Felix Randal the farrier, O he is dead then? my duty all ended, Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome Pining, pining, till time when …
Gerard Manley HopkinsGerard Manley Hopkins quote #43 Every body is a book of blood; Wherever we're opened, we're red.
Clive BarkerClive Barker quote #2 It's hard to believe a spirit could die Of such generous glow
Cecil Day LewisCecil Day Lewis quote #2