If lowborn men could stand up to those born to rule, religion, government, the whole world would fall to pieces...[Merlin replies]...So it would; so it will...then the pieces will be put together again by such as destroyed it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote suggests that challenging established hierarchies causes chaos, but reconstruction follows destruction.
- In plain terms
- If lower classes stand up to rulers, the world falls apart but gets rebuilt.
- What can you take from it?
- Revolution breaks things, but order eventually returns.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is destruction needed for change?
- Who rebuilds the world?
Another view
It implies destruction is a necessary step without criticizing the status quo.
More from John Steinbeck
Syntax, my lad. It has been restored to the highest place in the republic.
Permalink to quote #10 Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard.
Permalink to quote #12 The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.
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