---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world comes second hand - fifth hand…"
description: "\"The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the illusion that it is fresh because it is shown as a picture of an actual place or is given as a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg"
---

#  The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the…

![“The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the illusion that it is fresh because it is shown as a picture of an actual place or is given as a 'true account' by some reporter who claims to have been 'there' divides man into incalculable parts without any true center.” quote by Josephine Herbst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg)

> “The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the illusion that it is fresh because it is shown as a picture of an actual place or is given as a 'true account' by some reporter who claims to have been 'there' divides man into incalculable parts without any true center.”

Josephine Herbst

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that media representations fragment our perception, preventing a unified understanding of reality.

**In simple terms:** Media fragments reality, preventing a clear center.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic experiences beyond images.

Themes

perception media fragmentation reality identity

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- travel
- journalism
- social media consumption
- education
- art criticism

Key Concepts

postmodernism representation truth subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify the authenticity of a source?
- What role does personal experience play in shaping truth?

A Different Perspective

It may overgeneralize media’s impact and ignore personal agency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Reporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporters/) [Second hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-hand/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being, but rather a room where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/alone-had-always-felt-like-an-actual-place-to-me-as-if-it-weren-t-a/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [The 'cool' record store. It is where you can talk to people who are like you. They look like you, think like you and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyne/the-cool-record-store-it-is-where-you-can-talk-to-people-who-are-like/)

[Wayne Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyne/)

> [“Alone had always felt like an actual place to me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/alone-had-always-felt-like-an-actual-place-to-me/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [Before we had airplanes and astronauts, we really thought that there was an actual place beyond the clouds, somewhere over the rainbow. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/before-we-had-airplanes-and-astronauts-we-really-thought-that-there/)

[Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/)

> [“To this day the vision of the world which comes most naturally to me is one in which “we two” or “we few” (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/to-this-day-the-vision-of-the-world-which-comes-most-naturally-to-me/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always 20 years behind the times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-the-end-of-the-world-comes-i-want-to-be-in-cincinnati-because-it/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [To start with, I love New York... It's a little bit of the whole world... In New York, the whole world comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/to-start-with-i-love-new-york-it-s-a-little-bit-of-the-whole-world-in/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [Every day that is born into the world comes like a burst of music and rings the whole day through, and you make of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/every-day-that-is-born-into-the-world-comes-like-a-burst-of-music-and/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/what-about-desserts-i-asked-if-the-world-comes-to-an-end-i-m-going-to-2/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Once youve lived a little you will find that whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slash/once-youve-lived-a-little-you-will-find-that-whatever-you-send-out/)

[Slash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slash/)

> [What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies." "We're all going to want cookies if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/what-about-desserts-i-asked-if-the-world-comes-to-an-end-i-m-going-to/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-the-world-comes-to-an-end-i-want-to-be-in-cincinnati-everything/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/the-creation-of-a-single-world-comes-from-a-huge-number-of-fragments/)

[Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/)

> [“It is only a matter of time till the reality of the rest of the world comes home. And all the while we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/it-is-only-a-matter-of-time-till-the-reality-of-the-rest-of-the-world/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Sometimes this world comes between us and what we love. But if we are patient, when this world passes away, there will be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/sometimes-this-world-comes-between-us-and-what-we-love-but-if-we-are/)

[Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/)

## More by Josephine Herbst

> [The law is not abstract, impartially arbitrating between conflicting social classes; it is a tool in the hands of those who govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/the-law-is-not-abstract-impartially-arbitrating-between-conflicting/)

Josephine Herbst

> [No one ever understood disaster until it came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/no-one-ever-understood-disaster-until-it-came/)

Josephine Herbst

Explore all 3 Josephine Herbst quotes

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the illusion that it is fresh because it is shown as a picture of an actual place or is given as a 'true account' by some reporter who claims to have been 'there' divides man into incalculable parts without any true center.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Josephine Herbst"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-to-us-and-the-illusion-that-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-to-us-and-the-illusion-that-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/josephine-herbst-83539_accounts_the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-t_1875270.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The world comes second hand - fifth hand - to us and the illusion that it is fresh because it is shown as a…” — Josephine Herbst",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Josephine Herbst",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-herbst/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The world comes second hand -...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-to-us-and-the-illusion-that-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-herbst/the-world-comes-second-hand-fifth-hand-to-us-and-the-illusion-that-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
