Corpses Quote by Albert Camus
“But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. And since a dead man has no substance unless one has actually seen him dead, a hundred million corpses broadcast through history are no more than a puff of smoke in the imagination.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Plague, Albert Camus, 1947
War desensitizes people to death, making massive loss feel intangible and unreal.
In simple terms: War numbs perception of death.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the human cost behind statistics.
Themes
war
death
humanity
psychology
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- military service
- historical analysis
- media coverage
- education on war trauma
Key Concepts
existentialism
nihilism
psychological distance
Questions to Reflect On
- How does repeated exposure to death affect moral responsibility?
- Can we ever truly comprehend large-scale loss?
A Different Perspective
Even with many deaths, individuals may remain detached, reducing empathy.
![“[Mujib Rahman] is mad, mad! And they're all mad, the press included, who repeat after him, "Three million dead, three million dead!" The Indians had let out the figure of one million. He came along and doubled it. Then tripled it. It's a characteristic of the man - he'd done the same for the…” quote by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a6a/zulfikar-ali-bhutto-13955_characteristics_mujib-rahman-is-mad-mad-and-they-re-all_1895021.jpg)
![“Of course I think it's a movie for everybody [Insane Farting Corpse], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me.” quote by Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/14e/paul-dano-2579_corpses_of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-every_14478.jpg)
![“René of Anjou [(1409-80)] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it [her tomb] openedon his return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This [is] another instance of the strange mixture of religion and gallantry in those ages.” quote by Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aba/horace-walpole-3357_age_ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-o_33917.jpg)
