Friendship Quote by Edgar Rice Burroughs
““I thought of my friends of the outer world, and of how they all would go on living their lives in total ignorance of the strange and terrible fate that had overtaken me, or unguessing the weird surroundings which had witnessed the last frightful agony of my extinction. And with these thoughts came a realization of how unimportant to the life and happiness of the world is the existence of any one of us. We may be snuffed out without an instant's warning, and for a brief day our friends speak of us with subdued voices. The following morning, while the first worm is busily engaged in testing the construction of our coffin, they are teeing up for the first hole to suffer more acute sorrow over a sliced ball than they did over our, to us, untimely demise.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Moon‑Men, 1926
The narrator reflects on the insignificance of an individual life in the vast world, noting how quickly others forget even a dramatic death.
In simple terms: One life is fleeting and often forgotten.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility and the present moment.
Themes
mortality
humility
impermanence
Mood
melancholic
thoughtful
Type
literary
existential
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- philosophical essays
- artistic expression
Key Concepts
existential reflection
human insignificance
Questions to Reflect On
- What gives life meaning despite its brevity?
- How do cultures memorialize the dead?
A Different Perspective
Some find meaning in legacy despite transience.
