Good deeds Quote by Kaitlin Bevis
““Cassandra caught my quizzical look and shrugged. “Problems adjusting. You just missed the latest of the new souls. It would seem none of us are quite as good with people as you are.” That was an understatement. With any luck, Cassandra hadn’t caused any psychological scarring with her “Yeah, you’re dead, get over it” speech. She wasn’t a people person. Ordinarily, I greeted the new souls and took special care to deal with any “adjustment problems.” I enjoyed that part of my work. It was one of the few good deeds I could credit myself with. But as much as I’d love to tell myself otherwise, I wasn’t settling in the souls out of the goodness of my heart. Just lack of better alternatives. The other gods had difficulties relating to humans. But those difficulties were nothing compared to the problems the humans in my court had relating to each other. Souls lose something the longer they’re dead. They forget what it was like to worry, to be scared, to be human. Just yesterday, I’d caught Cassandra telling a frightened new soul I’d gone through a dark phase back when Dante passed through, but not to worry. I hadn’t gone off my meds for centuries. Fucking Dante.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Afterlife Bureau, Kaitlin Bevis, 2023
The narrator, a god, struggles with empathy and duty, helping new souls adjust while feeling detached and pragmatic about their suffering.
In simple terms: A god helps souls adjust but feels detached and practical.
Recognize limits of compassion and seek balance.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- guiding new souls
- managing divine workload
- dealing with existential fatigue
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you maintain genuine empathy in a role that feels like a job?
- When does duty become self‑preservation?
Compassion can become bureaucratic, risking loss of genuine care.