Book Quote by Ben Marcus
““It would finally be a book that excluded no one. And then when all the world's people had been singled out and praised for their good works, forgiven their failures and near misses and broken promises, both to themselves and others, excused every digression of their hearts, when their names had finally been inscribed by wire onto a piece of wood that bands the earth like a belt holding the whole place together, these people would once and for all be killed, so that they won't return and won't be remembered, a complete killing in the old-fashioned style of the Ohio Exits, where not only the person is killed but the things around him and any referencing devices indexing, in any way, the person: killed.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus, 2012
A dystopian vision where a comprehensive record of humanity is erased, eliminating memory and identity, reflecting on the power of documentation and its loss.
In simple terms: A book that records everyone is destroyed, erasing their memory.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the value of preserving histories.
Themes
memory
identity
power
erasure
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
cautionary
When to use this quote
- historical research
- digital archiving
- policy making
- education
- memory preservation
Key Concepts
archival control
authoritarianism
existential risk
Questions to Reflect On
- What would society lose if all records were erased?
- How can we protect personal histories?
A Different Perspective
Even with records, personal narratives can be forgotten.
