--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Their bodies were like corpses ready for…" description: "\"“Their bodies were like corpses ready for embalming, from which all innards likely to rot had already been removed. Superfluous emotions like curiosity..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/ismail-kadar-13224_corpses_their-bodies-were-like-corpses-ready-for_3210007.jpg" --- # Their bodies were like corpses ready for embalming, from… ![“Their bodies were like corpses ready for embalming, from which all innards likely to rot had already been removed. Superfluous emotions like curiosity, fear and lust for gossip or excitement had been shed along with the useless flesh and excess fat. Javer once said that Granny Shano could as…” quote by Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/ismail-kadar-13224_corpses_their-bodies-were-like-corpses-ready-for_3210007.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/ismail-kadar-13224_corpses_their-bodies-were-like-corpses-ready-for_3210007.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/ismail-kadar-13224_corpses_their-bodies-were-like-corpses-ready-for_3210007.jpg) > ““Their bodies were like corpses ready for embalming, from which all innards likely to rot had already been removed. Superfluous emotions like curiosity, fear and lust for gossip or excitement had been shed along with the useless flesh and excess fat. Javer once said that Granny Shano could as easily have grabbed the ear of Benito Mussolini himself as the Italian officer’s.”” [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid metaphor describing emotional numbness and loss of curiosity, likening a person to a corpse stripped of feeling. **In simple terms:** Emotions stripped away, leaving emptiness. Key Takeaway Seek genuine emotional connection. Themes emotional numbness detachment loss Mood somber introspective Type literary metaphorical When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts psychology literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are essential for a full life? - How do we restore lost curiosity? A Different Perspective Such stripping can also erase empathy and humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [Men without joy seem like corpses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/men-without-joy-seem-like-corpses/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/like-flies-in-amber-like-corpses-frozen-in-in-ice-that-which/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/people-disappear-when-they-die-their-voice-their-laughter-the-warmth-2/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Sometimes she was seized with hallucinations and thought she was buried in some vault together with a lot of puppet-like corpses which nodded their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/sometimes-she-was-seized-with-hallucinations-and-thought-she-was/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“I don’t like corpses in that way unless they’ve been reanimated,” said Jack. “Corpses are incapable of offering informed consent, and are hence no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/i-don-t-like-corpses-in-that-way-unless-they-ve-been-reanimated-said/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [“I recognised a Swiss doctor whom I’d seen at a lot of races. I knew that she also worked in a mortuary. I remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charly-wegelius/i-recognised-a-swiss-doctor-whom-i-d-seen-at-a-lot-of-races-i-knew/) [Charly Wegelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charly-wegelius/) > [The temples of those who deny the Real Presence are like corpses. The Lord was taken away and we do not know where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/the-temples-of-those-who-deny-the-real-presence-are-like-corpses-the/) [Francois Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/) > [“And in a mad trance Strike with our spirit's knife Invulnerable nothings We decay Like corpses in a charnel Fear & Grief Convulse is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/and-in-a-mad-trance-strike-with-our-spirit-s-knife-invulnerable/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Dancing is like making love. It has to be a harmony; it has to be about two bodies. When one is like, "I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanca-li/dancing-is-like-making-love-it-has-to-be-a-harmony-it-has-to-be-about/) [Blanca Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanca-li/) > [Our bodies like rhythm and our brains like melody and harmony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/our-bodies-like-rhythm-and-our-brains-like-melody-and-harmony/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Every single sport works out your body in a different way, and you can almost point out their bodies - like, that's a swimmer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-james-decker/every-single-sport-works-out-your-body-in-a-different-way-and-you-can/) [Jessie James Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-james-decker/) > [We have to let these - not just girls - but also boys know that it's OK to love your body and not feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/we-have-to-let-these-not-just-girls-but-also-boys-know-that-it-s-ok/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [“This is a memoir of (my) body because, more often than not, stories of bodies like mine are ignored or dismissed or derided. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/this-is-a-memoir-of-my-body-because-more-often-than-not-stories-of/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [I support all people on earth who have bodies like and unlike my body, skins and moles and old scars, secret and public hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-shihab-nye/i-support-all-people-on-earth-who-have-bodies-like-and-unlike-my-body/) [Naomi Shihab Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-shihab-nye/) > [Seriously, why don't straight men have bodies like this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hobbes/seriously-why-don-t-straight-men-have-bodies-like-this/) [Miranda Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hobbes/) ## More by Ismail Kadare > [And everything would be different, different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/and-everything-would-be-different-different/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“This is how things come to pass in the world,' one of the princes is supposed to have said. 'Blood flows one way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/this-is-how-things-come-to-pass-in-the-world-one-of-the-princes-is/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“Thick smoke like a herd of black horses was rising over the massive building and being blown around by the wind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/thick-smoke-like-a-herd-of-black-horses-was-rising-over-the-massive/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“Divizije, pukovnije, batoljoni, čete, jedinice svih vrsta pomiješat će se u gomili lijesova. Potom će ih ukrcati u veliki brod koji će tromo isploviti…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/divizije-pukovnije-batoljoni-ete-jedinice-svih-vrsta-pomije-at-e-se-u/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“At street corners, where walls join, I thought I could see some familiar features, like outlines of human faces, the shadows of cheekbones and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/at-street-corners-where-walls-join-i-thought-i-could-see-some/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“E ke menduar se po te largohesh kaq shume nga jeta njerezore, nga ajo qe ti me perbuzje e quan "malli i jetes", mund…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/e-ke-menduar-se-po-te-largohesh-kaq-shume-nga-jeta-njerezore-nga-ajo/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“The pyramid is the pillar that holds power aloft. If it wavers,everything collapses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/the-pyramid-is-the-pillar-that-holds-power-aloft-if-it-wavers/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“My streets, my cistern. My old house. Its beams, floorboards and staircase creaked slightly, almost imperceptibly, with a dry, uniform, almost constant cracking sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/my-streets-my-cistern-my-old-house-its-beams-floorboards-and/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“Some people,” the Vizier went on, “think it’s the world of anxieties and dreams – your world, in short – that governs this one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/some-people-the-vizier-went-on-think-it-s-the-world-of-anxieties-and/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [Who in the world has not yearned for a loved one, has never said, If only he or she could come back just once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/who-in-the-world-has-not-yearned-for-a-loved-one-has-never-said-if/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“Who can say it’s not what we see with our eyes open that is distorted, and that what’s described here isn’t the true essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/who-can-say-it-s-not-what-we-see-with-our-eyes-open-that-is-distorted/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“Sunday had spread all over the city. It looked as if the sun had smacked into the earth and broken into pieces and chunks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/sunday-had-spread-all-over-the-city-it-looked-as-if-the-sun-had/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [Dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible... The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/dictatorship-and-authentic-literature-are-incompatible-the-writer-is/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [I could not understand how people could not like something as beautiful as the aerodrome. But I had lately become convinced that in general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/i-could-not-understand-how-people-could-not-like-something-as/) [Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) > [“I couldn't get to sleep. The book lay nearby. A thin object on the divan. So strange. Between two cardboard covers were noises, doors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/i-couldn-t-get-to-sleep-the-book-lay-nearby-a-thin-object-on-the/) [Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) [Explore all 43 Ismail Kadare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/) ## More Corpses quotes > [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/) Gig Young > [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/) [Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The government increasingly resembles somebody who is trying to give the kiss of life to a corpse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/the-government-increasingly-resembles-somebody-who-is-trying-to-give/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. We're fighting the same war, just different battles in different theaters, and it's way too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/you-and-i-are-victims-of-the-same-disease-we-re-fighting-the-same-war/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [Alas, poor Yorick! How surprised he would be to see how his counterpart of today is whisked off to a funeral parlor and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/alas-poor-yorick-how-surprised-he-would-be-to-see-how-his-counterpart/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/photos-are-profound-because-they-have-such-short-lives-they-are-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) Browse all 363 Corpses quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Their bodies were like corpses ready for embalming, from which all innards likely to rot had already been removed. Superfluous emotions like curiosity, fear and lust for gossip or excitement had been shed along with the useless flesh and excess fat. 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