Ben, that funeral will be massive! They'll come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire! All the old-timers with the strange license plates - that boy will be thunderstruck, Ben, because he never realized - I am known! Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey - I am known, Ben, and he'll see it with his eyes once and for all.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A man dreams of a massive funeral to prove he was known.
- In plain terms
- He wants people to gather to show he mattered.
- What can you take from it?
- Seek validation through public recognition of life.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does being known matter?
- What is a good life?
Another view
Fame does not guarantee worth or happiness.
More from Arthur Miller
Work a lifetime to pay off a house - You finally own it and there's nobody to live in it.
Permalink to quote #56 Spite, spite, is the word of your undoing!
Permalink to quote #58 After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive.
Permalink to quote #55
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