I like to think how easily Nature will absorb London as she absorbed the mastodon, setting her spiders to spin the winding-sheet and her worms to fill in the grave, and her grass to cover it pitifully up, adding flowers - as an unknown hand added them to the grave of Nero.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Nature will eventually erase human cities just as it erased ancient creatures, covering them with grass and flowers.
- In plain terms
- Nature will swallow cities over time, burying them like ancient animals.
- What can you take from it?
- Human achievements are temporary compared to the long power of nature.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What will remain of your city in 1000 years?
- How small do you feel compared to nature?
Another view
It ignores human efforts to preserve culture against natural decay.
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