Civilization Quote by Philip K. Dick
““Silence. It flashed from the woodwork and the walls; it smote him with an awful, total power, as if generated by a vast mill. It rose from the floor, up out of the tattered gray wall-to-wall carpeting. It unleashed itself from the broken and semi-broken appliances in the kitchen, the dead machines which hadn’t worked in all the time Isidore had lived here. From the useless pole lamp in the living room it oozed out, meshing with the empty and wordless descent of itself from the fly-specked ceiling. It managed in fact to emerge from every object within his range of vision, as if it—the silence—meant to supplant all things tangible. Hence it assailed not only his ears but his eyes; as he stood by the inert TV set he experienced the silence as visible and, in its own way, alive. Alive! He had often felt its austere approach before; when it came it burst in without subtlety, evidently unable to wait. The silence of the world could not rein back its greed. Not any longer. Not when it had virtually won.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: VALIS, 1981
The passage describes an overwhelming, almost physical silence that invades every object, symbolizing an unstoppable, all‑consuming force that erodes reality.
In simple terms: Silence becomes a powerful, visible force that overwhelms everything.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when silence is a warning, not just absence of sound.
Themes
is
existential dread
perception
reality
overwhelm
Mood
foreboding
intense
haunting
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Living in an empty house
- confronting inner void
- experiencing sensory overload
- narrative climax
- character breakdown
Key Concepts
Phenomenology
nihilism
psychological horror
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the silence represent for the protagonist?
- How does this sensory invasion affect his perception of reality?
A Different Perspective
The description may exaggerate silence’s agency, ignoring that silence is often a lack of sound rather than an active entity.
