Abyss Quote by Ray Bradbury
“For these beings, fall is ever the normal season, the only weather, there be no choice beyond. Where do they come from? The dust. Where do they go? The grave. Does blood stir their veins? No: the night wind. What ticks in their head? The worm. What speaks from their mouth? The toad. What sees from their eye? The snake. What hears with their ear? The abyss between the stars. They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, fill tombs with sinners. They frenzy forth…Such are the autumn people.”
About This Quote
Source Short Story: "The Autumn People" in The Illustrated Man, 1951
The passage portrays a bleak, deterministic view of humanity as doomed, driven by primal forces beyond control, emphasizing mortality and the inexorable pull of death.
In simple terms: Humans are trapped by fate and darkness.
Key Takeaway
Accept life's darkness and seek meaning.
Themes
mortality
determinism
nihilism
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- grief
- philosophical
- artistic
- reflection
- acceptance
Key Concepts
existential dread
cosmic horror
entropy
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we find agency within inevitability?
- What role does hope play?
A Different Perspective
The view ignores agency and hope.
