Doomed Quote by D.H. Lawrence
““because when i feel the human world is doomed, has doomed itself by its own mingy beastliness, then i feel the colonies aren't far enough. the moon wouldn't be far enough, because even there you could look back and see the earth, dirty, beastly, unsavory among all the stars: made foul by men. Then i feel i've swallowed gall, and its eating my inside out, and nowhere's far enough to get away. but when i get a turn, i forget it all again. though it's a shame, what's been done to people these last hundred years: men turned into nothing but labor-insects, and all their manhood taken away, and all their real life. i'd wipe the machines off the face of the earth again, and end the industrial epoch absolutely, like a black mistake. but since i can't, an' nobody can, i'd better hold my peace, an' try an' life my own life: if i've got one to live, which i rather doubt.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Women in Love, 1920
The narrator feels humanity is doomed by its own cruelty, yet clings to personal agency amid despair.
In simple terms: Humanity’s cruelty leads to despair, but personal agency persists.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge darkness, yet pursue personal meaning.
Themes
despair
human nature
agency
Mood
melancholic
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- mental health coping
- activism
- creative writing
- philosophical reflection
- environmental advocacy
Key Concepts
existentialism
environmental critique
psychological turmoil
Questions to Reflect On
- Can personal peace coexist with societal critique?
- How do you balance despair and hope?
A Different Perspective
Hope may be fleeting and hard to sustain.
![“scientific knowledge has taught [humans] much since the days of the Deluge, and it will increase their power still further. And, as for the great necessities of Fate, against which there is no help, they will learn to endure them with resignation. Of what use to them is the mirage of wide acres in…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e75/sigmund-freud-360_freud_scientific-knowledge-has-taught-humans-m_1429271.jpg)
