Buried Quote by Frederick Busch
““No matter his joking, I thought, this was a man as given to the miseries as I was. You could look into my dead face and find my living eyes. In his case, the life and death were reversed, and the flesh of his face was living ground, while his eyes were little monuments to lifelessness buried therein.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Great War, by Frederick Busch, 1992
The speaker sees a man whose outward appearance hides inner sorrow, reflecting a reversal of life and death within his face.
In simple terms: A man's face shows hidden grief and reversed vitality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize hidden pain behind outward appearances.
Themes
empathy
identity
mortality
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- art critique
- personal reflection
- mental health awareness
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we discern inner suffering from external cues?
- What does the reversal of life and death symbolize?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may be too abstract for practical empathy without context.
![“Perhaps [the critics are right and] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and entertaining to consider that at least once in the world's history those words might have been said with complete conviction, and that was on the eve of the Resurrection.” quote by Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/467/dorothy-l-sayers-738_buried_perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-dr_43252.jpg)
