--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be born in that city is useful for…" description: "\"“To be born in that city is useful for only one thing: to have always known, almost instinctively, what today, with endless fine distinctions, everyone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/elena-ferrante-2338_death_to-be-born-in-that-city-is-useful-for-on_231317.png" --- # To be born in that city is useful for only one thing: to… ![“To be born in that city is useful for only one thing: to have always known, almost instinctively, what today, with endless fine distinctions, everyone is beginning to claim: that the dream of unlimited progress is in reality a nightmare of savagery and death.” quote by Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/elena-ferrante-2338_death_to-be-born-in-that-city-is-useful-for-on_231317.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/elena-ferrante-2338_death_to-be-born-in-that-city-is-useful-for-on_231317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/elena-ferrante-2338_death_to-be-born-in-that-city-is-useful-for-on_231317.png) > ““To be born in that city is useful for only one thing: to have always known, almost instinctively, what today, with endless fine distinctions, everyone is beginning to claim: that the dream of unlimited progress is in reality a nightmare of savagery and death.”” [Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ferrante/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The pursuit of limitless progress masks a hidden reality of cruelty and death, a nightmare beneath the veneer of modern ambition. **In simple terms:** Unlimited progress can become a deadly nightmare. Key Takeaway Beware the dark side of endless ambition. Themes progress modernity humanity danger illusion Mood cautious reflective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - urban life - career advancement - technological development - political activism Key Concepts philosophy critical theory existential risk Questions to Reflect On - Is endless progress always harmful? - How can we balance ambition with humanity? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and ignore positive aspects of progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [Without man and his potential for moral progress, the whole of reality would be a mere wilderness, a thing in vain, and have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/without-man-and-his-potential-for-moral-progress-the-whole-of-reality/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [I was born in a city and I didn't think I'd ever want to leave the city life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-etheridge/i-was-born-in-a-city-and-i-didn-t-think-i-d-ever-want-to-leave-the/) [Neil Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-etheridge/) > [Some people are born for the city. 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