History Quote by Paul Bowles
““...Amar was made conscious in an instant of a presence in the air, something which had been there all the time, but which he had never isolated and identified. The thing was in him, he was a part of it, as was the man opposite him, and it was a part of them; it whispered to them that time was short, that the world they lived in was approaching its end, and beyond was unfathomable darkness. It was the premonition of inevitable defeat and annihilation, and it had always been there with them and in them, as intangible and as real as the night around them. Amar pulled two loose cigarettes out of his pocket and handed one to the potter. "Ah, the Moslems, the Moslems!" he sighed. "Who knows what's going to happen to them?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles, 1961
A sudden awareness of an omnipresent, looming catastrophe that feels both internal and external, foretelling inevitable doom.
In simple terms: A sudden feeling that doom is near and all around.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and confront hidden anxieties before they dominate.
Themes
existential dread
foreboding
interconnectedness
Mood
anxious
foreboding
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- war zones
- personal crises
- environmental collapse
- political upheaval
Key Concepts
nihilism
precarity
collective consciousness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this premonition shape their choices?
- Can awareness of doom be a catalyst for action?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may exaggerate inevitability, ignoring human agency.
