Boxes Quote by Dylan Thomas
“Sleeping as quiet as death, side by wrinkled side, toothless, salt and brown, like two old kippers in a box.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (adapted), 1943
The speaker likens two old bodies to dead fish, emphasizing decay and intimacy in aging companionship.
In simple terms: Old bodies compared to dead fish, showing decay and closeness.
Key Takeaway
Accept aging and the stark reality of mortality.
Themes
mortality
intimacy
decay
age
companionship
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- elderly care
- end‑of‑life reflections
- family bonds
- grief processing
Key Concepts
existentialism
human frailty
bodily decline
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confronting physical decline affect emotional intimacy?
- What can we learn about caring for aging loved ones?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may romanticize death, overlooking the lived experience of aging.
![“Then Night came down like the feathery soot of a smoky lamp, and smutted[9] first the bedquilt, then the hearth-rug, then the window-seat, and then at last the great, stormy, faraway outside world. But sleep did not come. Oh, no! Nothing new came at all except that particularly wretched, itching…” quote by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ff9/eleanor-hallowell-abbott-23054_insomnia_then-night-came-down-like-the-feathery-s_311779.jpg)
![“The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood [in Egypt] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people.” quote by Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/473/kelly-ayotte-18873_ballots_the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-b_273.jpg)
