--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How idiotic civilization is! Why be given…" description: "\"How idiotic civilization is! Why be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle?\" — Katherine Mansfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/katherine-mansfield-1781_body_how-idiotic-civilization-is-why-be-given_733835.png" --- # How idiotic civilization is! Why be given a body if you… ![“How idiotic civilization is! Why be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle?” quote by Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/katherine-mansfield-1781_body_how-idiotic-civilization-is-why-be-given_733835.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/katherine-mansfield-1781_body_how-idiotic-civilization-is-why-be-given_733835.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/katherine-mansfield-1781_body_how-idiotic-civilization-is-why-be-given_733835.png) > “How idiotic civilization is! Why be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle?” [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) ## 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 laments the absurdity of human existence confined within a physical body, likening it to a valuable instrument trapped in a case. **In simple terms:** Life feels trapped and pointless. Key Takeaway Question the purpose of bodily existence. Themes existential frustration identity Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical writing - artistic critique - mental health - spiritual inquiry Key Concepts human condition body as prison value of self Questions to Reflect On - What would change if you embraced the body rather than rejected it? - Can the body be a tool rather than a cage? A Different Perspective It ignores the potential for bodily experience to foster growth and connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Breastfeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breastfeeding/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ## Related quotes > [The body is telling the mind to stop. The mind is telling the body to shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/the-body-is-telling-the-mind-to-stop-the-mind-is-telling-the-body-to/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [But the further step, by means of which a civilization is given its quality or culture, is only attained by a process of cellular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/but-the-further-step-by-means-of-which-a-civilization-is-given-its/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [There's no such thing as an open and shut case unless youve lost the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/there-s-no-such-thing-as-an-open-and-shut-case-unless-youve-lost-the/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [He liked to think that Heaven was what each person wanted it to be. He could see no future in lying around on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-kelton/he-liked-to-think-that-heaven-was-what-each-person-wanted-it-to-be-he/) [Elmer Kelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-kelton/) > [“A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle To a double-e waterfall over my back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/a-leaf-of-all-colors-plays-a-golden-string-fiddle-to-a-double-e/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [And I also think it's a violin when you're selling it and a fiddle when you're buying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/and-i-also-think-it-s-a-violin-when-you-re-selling-it-and-a-fiddle/) [Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/) > [A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/a-fiddler-on-the-roof-sounds-crazy-no-but-here-in-our-little-village/) [Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/) > [I've been hearing fiddle music since I was in the womb, I'm sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/i-ve-been-hearing-fiddle-music-since-i-was-in-the-womb-i-m-sure/) [Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/) > [Greece is a sort of American vassal; the Netherlands is the country of American bases that grow like tulip bulbs; Cuba is the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/greece-is-a-sort-of-american-vassal-the-netherlands-is-the-country-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh, I'm being eaten By a boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor, And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/oh-i-m-being-eaten-by-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) Rory Block > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george-bohn/friends-are-like-fiddle-strings-they-must-not-be-screwed-too-tight/) [Henry George Bohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george-bohn/) > [The earth keeps some vibration going There in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why fiddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-earth-keeps-some-vibration-going-there-in-your-heart-and-that-is/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More by Katherine Mansfield > [“Shadow children, thin and small, Now the day is left behind, You are dancing on the wall, On the curtains, on the blind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/shadow-children-thin-and-small-now-the-day-is-left-behind-you-are/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [“Oh, with you, I could conquer the world - oh, with you I could catch hold of the moon like a little silver sixpence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/oh-with-you-i-could-conquer-the-world-oh-with-you-i-could-catch-hold/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [“I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/i-have-made-it-a-rule-of-my-life-never-to-regret-and-never-to-look/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Life never becomes a habit to me. It's always a marvel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/life-never-becomes-a-habit-to-me-it-s-always-a-marvel/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Children are unaccountable little creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/children-are-unaccountable-little-creatures/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [“Leila was sure ifhe partner didn't come and she had to listen to that marvellous music and to watch the others sliding, gliding over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/leila-was-sure-ifhe-partner-didn-t-come-and-she-had-to-listen-to-that/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Regret is an appalling waste of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/regret-is-an-appalling-waste-of-time/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [I love the rain. I want the feeling of it on my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/i-love-the-rain-i-want-the-feeling-of-it-on-my-face/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [England is merely an island of beef swimming in a warm gulf stream of gravy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/england-is-merely-an-island-of-beef-swimming-in-a-warm-gulf-stream-of/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Perhaps it does not matter so very much what it is one loves in this world. But love something one must.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/perhaps-it-does-not-matter-so-very-much-what-it-is-one-loves-in-this/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Ah, what happiness it is to be with people who are all happy, to press hands, press cheeks, smile into eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/ah-what-happiness-it-is-to-be-with-people-who-are-all-happy-to-press/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [To acknowledge the presence of fear is to give birth to failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/to-acknowledge-the-presence-of-fear-is-to-give-birth-to-failure/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [I am poor - obscure - just eighteen years of age - with a rapacious appetite for everything and principles as light as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/i-am-poor-obscure-just-eighteen-years-of-age-with-a-rapacious/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [“I used to believe I was merely words and I do not know whether I shall start hoping for something more. You planted that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/i-used-to-believe-i-was-merely-words-and-i-do-not-know-whether-i/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [To be alive and to be a ‘writer’ is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/to-be-alive-and-to-be-a-writer-is-enough/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) [Explore all 199 Katherine Mansfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How idiotic civilization is! 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