Cold Quote by Joseph Heller
“Yossarian was cold, too, and shivering uncontrollably. He felt goose pimples clacking all over him as he gazed down despondently at the grim secret Snowden had spilled all over the messy floor. It was easy to read the message in his entrails. Man was matter, that was Snowden's secret. Drop him out a window and he'll fall. Set fire to him and he'll burn. Bury him and he'll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit gone, man is garbage. That was Snowden's secret. Ripeness was all. I'm cold,' Snowden said. 'I'm cold.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Catch‑22 by Joseph Heller, 1961
The passage describes a bleak view of humanity reduced to material existence, emphasizing mortality and the futility of trying to escape death.
In simple terms: Life is fleeting and bodies decay; spirit may be lost.
Key Takeaway
Accept mortality and find meaning beyond physical existence.
Themes
mortality
nihilism
existential dread
Mood
somber
philosophical
introspective
Type
literary
existential
When to use this quote
- war zones
- terminal illness
- ethical debates
- personal crisis
Key Concepts
philosophy
war trauma
human condition
Questions to Reflect On
- What gives you purpose when faced with mortality?
- Can meaning persist without belief in a spirit?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overlook resilience and hope that can arise despite suffering.
![“My assessment of Julian Assange is a professional one, really, of what he's managed to achieve, and the idea that he came up with, which set the world alight and continues to inspire others like Snowden [NSA leaker Edward Snowden], about the secret goings-on that are done in our name with our tax…” quote by Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/27f/benedict-cumberbatch-1156_achieve_my-assessment-of-julian-assange-is-a-pro_1376286.jpg)
![“This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day [as a Fairfax Justice of the Peace] since I have been at Home. I wish I knew where to get a good one myself; for I find cold Sheets extreamly disagreeable.” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b92/george-mason-8435_bedfellows_this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young_3953.jpg)
