Crowns Quote by John Gay
“Why is the hearse with scutcheons blazon'd round, And with the nodding plume of ostrich crown'd? No; the dead know it not, nor profit gain; It only serves to prove the living vain.”
About This Quote
Source Play: The Beggar's Opera, 1728
The ornate funeral decorations are meaningless to the dead, serving only to show the living's vanity.
In simple terms: Funeral pomp is pointless, showing living vanity.
Key Takeaway
Recognize vanity in outward displays.
Themes
vanity
death
rituals
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
observational
cautionary
When to use this quote
- funeral planning
- memorials
- public ceremonies
Key Concepts
symbolism
human ego
Questions to Reflect On
- Do we use ceremony to mask our own insecurities?
- How does vanity affect how we honor the dead?
A Different Perspective
Such displays may comfort the living but distract from genuine mourning.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
