--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an…" description: "\"“Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an outstretched arm: a single swipe of an emery-board, across the nail of the third finger, erases human history. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/martin-amis-704_eternal-youth_imagine-the-terrestrial-timespan-as-an-o_1260684.jpg" --- # Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an outstretched arm: a… ![“Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an outstretched arm: a single swipe of an emery-board, across the nail of the third finger, erases human history. We haven't been around for very long. And we've turned the earth's hair white. Sh e seemed to have eternal youth but now she's ageing awful fast…” quote by Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/martin-amis-704_eternal-youth_imagine-the-terrestrial-timespan-as-an-o_1260684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/martin-amis-704_eternal-youth_imagine-the-terrestrial-timespan-as-an-o_1260684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/martin-amis-704_eternal-youth_imagine-the-terrestrial-timespan-as-an-o_1260684.jpg) > ““Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an outstretched arm: a single swipe of an emery-board, across the nail of the third finger, erases human history. We haven't been around for very long. And we've turned the earth's hair white. Sh e seemed to have eternal youth but now she's ageing awful fast, like an addict, like a waxless candle. Jesus, have you seen her recently? we used to live and die without any sense of the planet getting older, of mother earth getting older, living and dying. We used to live outside history. But now we're all coterminous. We're inside history now all right, on its leading edge, with the wind ripping past our ears. Hard to love, when you're bracing yourself for impact. And maybe love can't bear it either, and flees all planets when they reach this condition, when they get to the end of their twentieth centuries.”” [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human existence is fleeting compared to geological time, and our impact accelerates planetary aging, creating existential dread. **In simple terms:** Our lives are short and we are aging the planet fast. Key Takeaway Recognize our fleeting impact and act responsibly. Themes existential environmental time humanity impact Mood anxious reflective urgent Type philosophical environmental When to use this quote - climate activism - policy making - personal lifestyle changes - education - artistic expression Key Concepts anthropocene temporal perspective ecological crisis Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance progress with planetary health? - What responsibilities arise from our brief existence? A Different Perspective Our actions may be too late to reverse damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Eternal youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-youth/) [Getting older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-older/) [Hard to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-to-love/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mother earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-earth/) ## Related quotes > [The children of the nuclear age, I think, were weakened in their capacity to love. Hard to love, when you're bracing yourself for impact.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-children-of-the-nuclear-age-i-think-were-weakened-in-their/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“Killing is decreed by law but nature loves eternal youth. Whatever she does, however unconscious and unfeeling the act, she seems to cry out:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/killing-is-decreed-by-law-but-nature-loves-eternal-youth-whatever-she/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [I would love to tell you I've found the secret to eternal youth. I go to the gym and avoid too many chips. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isaacs/i-would-love-to-tell-you-i-ve-found-the-secret-to-eternal-youth-i-go/) [Jason Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isaacs/) > [Find time for thought, this is the source of strength. Find time for the game, this is the secret of eternal youth. Find time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-ritsos/find-time-for-thought-this-is-the-source-of-strength-find-time-for/) Giannis Ritsos > [“Marlowe's devils wore squibs attached to their tails: evil was like Peter Pan—it carried with it the horrifying and horrible gift of eternal youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/marlowe-s-devils-wore-squibs-attached-to-their-tails-evil-was-like/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Perhaps the profession of doing good may be full, but every body should be kind at least to himself. Take a course of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/perhaps-the-profession-of-doing-good-may-be-full-but-every-body/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“Someday decades from now, when you and Sabine are hobbling around in your old-people pants and orthopedic shoes, yelling at grandchildren and reminiscing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/someday-decades-from-now-when-you-and-sabine-are-hobbling-around-in/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [I've always believed in the adage that the secret of eternal youth is arrested development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-ve-always-believed-in-the-adage-that-the-secret-of-eternal-youth-is/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [Every minute of life carries with it its miraculous value, and its face of eternal youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/every-minute-of-life-carries-with-it-its-miraculous-value-and-its/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“It is perfectly possible — indeed, it is far from uncommon — to go to bed one night, or wake up one morning, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/it-is-perfectly-possible-indeed-it-is-far-from-uncommon-to-go-to-bed/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Answering the question 'How would you like to smell?' by saying 'I'd rather I didn't' is also no longer acceptable. It's not playing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/answering-the-question-how-would-you-like-to-smell-by-saying-i-d/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant animal minding its own business in a corner of Africa. In the following millennia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens-was-still-an-insignificant/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think being in love with life is a key to eternal youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-hutchison/i-think-being-in-love-with-life-is-a-key-to-eternal-youth/) [Doug Hutchison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-hutchison/) > [in Italy, almost at every step, history and poetry add to the graces of nature, sweeten the memory of the past, and seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/in-italy-almost-at-every-step-history-and-poetry-add-to-the-graces-of/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [“Perfect health, long life and eternal youth are not the random genetic blessings of a chaotic or capricious universe, but natural birthrights that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perfect-health-long-life-and-eternal-youth-are-not-the-random-genetic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Martin Amis > [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“barrios; each barrio has two or three gangs, and all the gangs are theoretically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/barrios-each-barrio-has-two-or-three-gangs-and-all-the-gangs-are/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“If we all downed tools and joined hands for ten minutes and stopped believing in money, then money would no longer exist. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-we-all-downed-tools-and-joined-hands-for-ten-minutes-and-stopped/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [When I see a lot of young faces in the audience, it's just sort of sinking in how important that is. Because you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/when-i-see-a-lot-of-young-faces-in-the-audience-it-s-just-sort-of/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“I was informed by my viscera that now was the time to put my arm around her shoulders. I ignored them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-was-informed-by-my-viscera-that-now-was-the-time-to-put-my-arm/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [You use a different part of your heart with girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-use-a-different-part-of-your-heart-with-girls/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the world is there to be celebrated by writers, and in fact this is what all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/it-s-becoming-clearer-and-clearer-to-me-that-the-world-is-there-to-be/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [In her final months Princess Diana was being shat upon by the tabloids -- basically for sleeping with an Arab. When she died, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-her-final-months-princess-diana-was-being-shat-upon-by-the/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [If you feel you have a strong constituency among the young, you can really die happy, because the great unanswered question, the only valid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-you-feel-you-have-a-strong-constituency-among-the-young-you-can/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [My life looked good on paper - where, in fact, almost all of it was being lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-life-looked-good-on-paper-where-in-fact-almost-all-of-it-was-being/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I say, 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book', but otherwise the idea of being conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-say-if-i-had-a-serious-brain-injury-i-might-well-write-a-children-s/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [The future could go this way, that way. The future's futures have never looked so rocky. Don't put money on it. Take my advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-future-could-go-this-way-that-way-the-future-s-futures-have-never/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [Each life is a game of chess that went to hell on the seventh move(...)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/each-life-is-a-game-of-chess-that-went-to-hell-on-the-seventh-move/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [ “There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics \[notably the lower clergy\] for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/there-exists-a-subterranean-world-where-pathological-fantasies/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) [Explore all 393 Martin Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## More Centuries quotes > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [“Time overlaps itself. A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The institution of marriage, if you look at it over many centuries, has come and gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/the-institution-of-marriage-if-you-look-at-it-over-many-centuries-has/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [A catechism is simply a tool for teaching the fundamentals of the faith. Unlike a creed or confession, a catechism uses questions and answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/a-catechism-is-simply-a-tool-for-teaching-the-fundamentals-of-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [The web of time - the strands of which approach one another, bifurcate, intersect, or ignore each other through the centuries - embraces "every"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-web-of-time-the-strands-of-which-approach-one-another-bifurcate/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Truth takes no account of centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/truth-takes-no-account-of-centuries/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [These movies belonged to the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries that period of great, unsustainable, and hedonistic prosperity, driven by the burning of Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/these-movies-belonged-to-the-twentieth-and-early-twenty-first/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [“love was an unstable reaction with a half-life of about eight months. Bullshit, I said, and accused him of wearing cultural blinders; thirty centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/love-was-an-unstable-reaction-with-a-half-life-of-about-eight-months/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [What if miliseconds influence centuries?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cowley/what-if-miliseconds-influence-centuries/) Robert Cowley > [My only market analysis was to look around and see that, in one way or another, most watches are inspired by watches that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mille/my-only-market-analysis-was-to-look-around-and-see-that-in-one-way-or/) [Richard Mille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mille/) > [For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a thousand centuries, never failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/for-it-is-the-dawn-that-has-come-as-it-has-come-for-a-thousand/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [“The Age of Intellect is accompanied by surprising advances in natural science. In the ninth century, for example, in the age of Mamun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bagot-glubb/the-age-of-intellect-is-accompanied-by-surprising-advances-in-natural/) [John Bagot Glubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bagot-glubb/) > [People have been marrying and bringing up children for centuries now. Nothing has ever come of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/people-have-been-marrying-and-bringing-up-children-for-centuries-now/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [We read that Adam and Methuselah lived so many centuries; at that time, it was the custom to marry in the family - marry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/we-read-that-adam-and-methuselah-lived-so-many-centuries-at-that-time/) [Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/) Browse all 333 Centuries quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Imagine the terrestrial timespan as an outstretched arm: a single swipe of an emery-board, across the nail of the third finger, erases human history. We haven't been around for very long. And we've turned the earth's hair white. Sh e seemed to have eternal youth but now she's ageing awful fast, like an addict, like a waxless candle. Jesus, have you seen her recently? we used to live and die without any sense of the planet getting older, of mother earth getting older, living and dying. We used to live outside history. But now we're all coterminous. We're inside history now all right, on its leading edge, with the wind ripping past our ears. Hard to love, when you're bracing yourself for impact. 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