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About this quote

What does it mean?
Life is a series of revisions, each season correcting the previous one until the final edition is given to the worms for free.
In plain terms
Life keeps getting edited like a book, ending in oblivion.
What can you take from it?
Accept that life is an ongoing process of change and eventual decay.

Where it applies

  • reflecting on personal change
  • accepting aging

Putting it to work

  • embrace continual learning
  • recognize life's transience

Questions to consider

  • How do we view each 'edition' of our lives?
  • What does the final 'free to worms' imply?

Another view

The metaphor may oversimplify complex human experiences.

More from Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

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