Changed Quote by Boris Pasternak
“Everything established, settled, everything to do with home and order and the common ground, has crumbled into dust and has been swept away in the general upheaval and reorganization of the whole of society. The whole human way of life has been destroyed and ruined. All that's left is the bare, shivering human soul, stripped to the last shred, the naked force of the human psyche for which nothing has changed because it was always cold and shivering and reaching out to its nearest neighbor, as cold and lonely as itself.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, 1957
Societal collapse strips humanity to its raw, isolated psyche, revealing an inherent coldness and yearning for connection.
In simple terms: Society’s ruin exposes our lonely, cold inner selves.
Key Takeaway
Recognize shared loneliness to foster empathy.
Themes
societal collapse
human psyche
loneliness
Mood
somber
thoughtful
Type
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- war trauma counseling
- community building
- mental health support
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
existentialism
social criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- In what ways can people find warmth amid chaos?
- How does collective suffering shape identity?
A Different Perspective
It may overgeneralize human nature as inherently cold, ignoring resilience and solidarity.
![“[T]he normal and the everyday are often amazingly unstoppable, and what is unimaginable is the cessation of them. The world is resilient, and, no matter what interruptions occur, people so badly want to return to their lives and get on with them. A veneer of civilization descends quickly, like a…” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/056/lorrie-moore-870_civilization_t-he-normal-and-the-everyday-are-often-a_825089.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
