How old the world is! I walk between two eternities... What is my fleeting existence in comparison with that decaying rock, that valley digging its channel ever deeper, that forest that is tottering and those great masses above my head about to fall? I see the marble of tombs crumbling into dust; and yet I don't want to die!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker feels small against the vastness of time and nature, yet still fears death.
- In plain terms
- I feel tiny compared to the ancient world, but I still do not want to die.
- What can you take from it?
- Human life feels short next to nature, but the instinct to live remains strong.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does scale affect your sense of self?
- Why do we fear death if life is brief?
Another view
It assumes nature is indifferent, which is one philosophical view among many.
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