--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Show me a quest for personal immortality…" description: "\"“Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you a path through a slaughterhouse, and the incense of personal divinity is the stench of othe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg" --- # Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you… ![“Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you a path through a slaughterhouse, and the incense of personal divinity is the stench of other people's corpses.” quote by Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg) > ““Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you a path through a slaughterhouse, and the incense of personal divinity is the stench of other people's corpses.”” [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The pursuit of personal legacy often leads to violent means, and claiming moral superiority can mask exploitation of others. **In simple terms:** Seeking immortality may cause harm to others. Key Takeaway Beware the cost of personal ambition. Themes ethics power legacy Mood cynical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political - business - personal ambition - career advancement Key Concepts moral philosophy human cost Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are justified for personal glory? - How does power corrupt moral perception? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize violence as a path to greatness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Divinity Stench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divinity-stench-5454126/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Path Slaughterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-slaughterhouse-5454127/) [Personal Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-immortality-737952/) [Slaughterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughterhouse/) [Slaughterhouse Incense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughterhouse-incense-5454125/) ## Related quotes > [Without a belief in personal immortality, religion surely is like an arch resting on one pillar, like a bridge ending in an abyss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/without-a-belief-in-personal-immortality-religion-surely-is-like-an/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) > [I don't believe in personal immortality; the only way I expect to have some version of such a thing is through my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-don-t-believe-in-personal-immortality-the-only-way-i-expect-to-have/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“If one shifts the center of gravity of life out of life into the “Beyond” – into nothingness – one has deprived life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-one-shifts-the-center-of-gravity-of-life-out-of-life-into-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [In spite of all the yearnings of men, no one can produce a single fact or reason to support the belief in God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/in-spite-of-all-the-yearnings-of-men-no-one-can-produce-a-single-fact/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I do not believe in personal immortality; it seems so unnecessary. Show me one man who deserves to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/i-do-not-believe-in-personal-immortality-it-seems-so-unnecessary-show/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The major problem of our time is the decay in the belief in personal immortality, and it cannot be dealt with while the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-major-problem-of-our-time-is-the-decay-in-the-belief-in-personal/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Worship is the earthly act by which we most distinctly recognize our personal immortality; men who think that they will be extinct a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-parry-liddon/worship-is-the-earthly-act-by-which-we-most-distinctly-recognize-our/) [Henry Parry Liddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-parry-liddon/) > [“Reflect on the “I” which can grasp all this. If the “I’ can grasp the idea of the universe and its laws, then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/reflect-on-the-i-which-can-grasp-all-this-if-the-i-can-grasp-the-idea/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“I turned the page in Slaughterhouse Five, a forbidden book at Belmont because we were too young to read about soldiers swearing and bombs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-turned-the-page-in-slaughterhouse-five-a-forbidden-book-at-belmont/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [You eat the burger but you don't want the slaughterhouse next door to where you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chicken-john/you-eat-the-burger-but-you-don-t-want-the-slaughterhouse-next-door-to/) [Chicken John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chicken-john/) > [“It was a slaughterhouse, the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minette-walters/it-was-a-slaughterhouse-the-most-horrific-scene-i-have-ever-witnessed/) [Minette Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minette-walters/) > [“I think that anyone who eats meat should visit a slaughterhouse at least once in their life, just to see what goes on. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-think-that-anyone-who-eats-meat-should-visit-a-slaughterhouse-at/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he will always see that word: murder—immortally inscribed upon the pediment of that vast slaughterhouse—humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/wherever-he-goes-whatever-he-does-he-will-always-see-that-word-murder/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [“(Slaughterhouse workers have the highest injury rate of any job —27 percent annually —and receive low pay to kill as many as 2,050 cattle a shift.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/slaughterhouse-workers-have-the-highest-injury-rate-of-any-job-27/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Barry Hughart > [“The mind is a miser," he said. "Nothing is ever thrown away, and it's amazing what you can find if you dig deep enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/the-mind-is-a-miser-he-said-nothing-is-ever-thrown-away-and-it-s/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [I have never been able to understand why perfectly sensible people waste time being wittily obscure instead of just saying what they want and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/i-have-never-been-able-to-understand-why-perfectly-sensible-people/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Master Li turned bright red while he scorched the air with the Sixty Sequential Sacrileges with which he had won the all-China Freestyle Blasphemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/master-li-turned-bright-red-while-he-scorched-the-air-with-the-sixty/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world. May your villages remain ignorant of tax collectors, and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/i-shall-clasp-my-hands-together-and-bow-to-the-corners-of-the-world/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Occasionally a moderately intelligent thought misses a turn and accidentally enters my mind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/occasionally-a-moderately-intelligent-thought-misses-a-turn-and/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Ox, at an early age a Chinese genius gazes at the path that lies ahead and reaches for a wine jar," Master Li said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/ox-at-an-early-age-a-chinese-genius-gazes-at-the-path-that-lies-ahead/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“everybody knows that the soul of a cat is formed from the composite souls of nine debauched nuns who failed in their vows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/everybody-knows-that-the-soul-of-a-cat-is-formed-from-the-composite/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Ox, what occupation is most closely linked to insanity?' 'Emperor,' I said promptly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/ox-what-occupation-is-most-closely-linked-to-insanity-emperor-i-said/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Nothing on the face of this earth - and I do mean nothing - is half so dangerous as a children's story that happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/nothing-on-the-face-of-this-earth-and-i-do-mean-nothing-is-half-so/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Mystery and terror are the bulwarks of tyranny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/mystery-and-terror-are-the-bulwarks-of-tyranny/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [Blessed are the idiots, for they are happiest people on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/blessed-are-the-idiots-for-they-are-happiest-people-on-earth/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [ “The problem with 'the crown jewel of Chinese literature' \[Dream of the Red Chamber\] is that it has two thousand pages and an equal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/the-problem-with-the-crown-jewel-of-chinese-literature-dream-of-the/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“...the problem with poetic justice is that it never knows when to stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/the-problem-with-poetic-justice-is-that-it-never-knows-when-to-stop/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > ['Immortality is only for the gods,' he whispered. 'I wonder how they can stand it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/immortality-is-only-for-the-gods-he-whispered-i-wonder-how-they-can/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [“Boy, just look at the soul shining through my eyes! It’s like a goddamned flower!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/boy-just-look-at-the-soul-shining-through-my-eyes-it-s-like-a/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) [Explore all 32 Barry Hughart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you a path through a slaughterhouse, and the incense of personal divinity is the stench of other people's corpses.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Hughart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality-and-i-ll-show-you-a-path/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality-and-i-ll-show-you-a-path/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/barry-hughart-19013_adventure_show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality_2304136.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Show me a quest for personal immortality and I'll show you a path through a slaughterhouse, and the incense…” — Barry Hughart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barry Hughart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Show me a quest for personal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality-and-i-ll-show-you-a-path/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/show-me-a-quest-for-personal-immortality-and-i-ll-show-you-a-path/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```