What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the victims of nature, it is that they are conscious of it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Human tragedy comes from our awareness of nature, not just nature itself.
- In plain terms
- It is sad we know about nature, not just that we suffer from it.
- What can you take from it?
- Awareness brings suffering that animals do not feel.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does knowledge make suffering worse?
Another view
It implies animals do not suffer in their own way.
More from Joseph Conrad
It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.
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