Children Quote by Steven Erikson
““The body directly before him, however, was that of a child. The blue of the eyes was now covered in a milky film, giving it its only depth, since all that was behind that veil was flat, like iron shields or silver coins, sealed and deprived of all promise. They were, he told himself yet again, eyes that no longer worked, and the loss of that was beyond comprehension. He would paint this child’s face. He would paint it a thousand times. Ten thousand. He would offer the paintings as gifts to every man and every woman of the realm. And each time any one man or woman stirred awake the hearth gods of anger and hate, feeding the gaping mouth of violence and uttering pathetic lies about making things better, or right, or pure, or safe, he would give them yet another copy of this child’s face.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Crippled God, 2009
The narrator seeks to counter pervasive hatred by repeatedly offering a stark, unsettling image of a child’s powerless eyes, hoping to awaken empathy and halt violence.
In simple terms: He paints a child’s eyes to fight hate.
Key Takeaway
Use art to confront cruelty.
Themes
empathy
violence
art
societal decay
hope
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- public exhibitions
- community healing
- activist art
- education
- peacebuilding
Key Concepts
psychology
symbolism
repetition
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- Can a single image shift collective anger?
- What other actions can accompany such art?
A Different Perspective
Art alone may not change entrenched hatred without systemic change.
