--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Subsequently there ensues an epoch of…" description: "\"“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of double agents, whose agendas become so dens..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg" --- # Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex… ![“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of double agents, whose agendas become so densely intertwined that they are virtually indistinguishable. Ever the Governing Executives of OneiriCon, many of whom are defectors from the Nightmare…” quote by Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg) > ““Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of double agents, whose agendas become so densely intertwined that they are virtually indistinguishable. Ever the Governing Executives of OneiriCon, many of whom are defectors from the Nightmare Network, throw themselves into the depths of the new order and lose all sense of identity in the ever-expanding nebula of blind ambition, which possesses a power and impetus that belongs entirely to itself.”” [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tangled web of espionage erodes personal identity, as power‑hungry leaders lose themselves in endless ambition. **In simple terms:** Power corrupts and obscures self. Key Takeaway Ambition can erase individuality. Themes power identity espionage corruption ambition Mood foreboding cynical intense Type philosophical narrative warning When to use this quote - political thriller - corporate takeover - secret societies Key Concepts double agents defectors political intrigue Practical Applications - character study - world‑building Questions to Reflect On - How does ambition reshape personal identity? - What are the costs of opaque power structures? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-ambition/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Sentient beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentient-beings/) ## Related quotes > [“Won't it confuse the fans? If you can keep up with seven warring factions' worth of intrigues, conspiracies, assassinations, blackmail plots, power plays, incestuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/won-t-it-confuse-the-fans-if-you-can-keep-up-with-seven-warring/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-enemy-s-spies-who-have-come-to-spy-on-us-must-be-sought-out/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I could have stopped it after they paid me the $50,000. I wouldn't even have had to go on to do more than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-could-have-stopped-it-after-they-paid-me-the-50-000-i-wouldn-t-even/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [I saw a limit to what I was giving as kind of a scam I was running on the KGB, by giving them people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-saw-a-limit-to-what-i-was-giving-as-kind-of-a-scam-i-was-running-on/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [“My thoughts have become treacherous, double agents whose loyalties remain a permanent mystery,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dibdin/my-thoughts-have-become-treacherous-double-agents-whose-loyalties/) Emma Dibdin > [The sovereign must have full knowledge of the activities of the five sorts of agents. This knowledge must come from the double agents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-sovereign-must-have-full-knowledge-of-the-activities-of-the-five/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [We should care that a foreign power can murder anyone on British soil with impunity. Allowing it to happen means that we cannot protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-batten/we-should-care-that-a-foreign-power-can-murder-anyone-on-british-soil/) [Gerard Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-batten/) > [My theory about L.A. is that it's almost like you have an allergy that's dormant and just need to be put in the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-seder/my-theory-about-l-a-is-that-it-s-almost-like-you-have-an-allergy-that/) [Sam Seder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-seder/) > [America spells competition, join us in the blind ambition, get yourself a brand new motor car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styx/america-spells-competition-join-us-in-the-blind-ambition-get-yourself/) [Styx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styx/) > [I've been playing music for a long time, mostly to empty rooms. That's not me getting the violin out. That's the reality for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/i-ve-been-playing-music-for-a-long-time-mostly-to-empty-rooms-that-s/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [Forget that blind ambition, and learn to trust your intuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/forget-that-blind-ambition-and-learn-to-trust-your-intuition/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [It's a test of ultimate will The heartbreak climb uphill Got to pick up the pace If you want to stay in the race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/it-s-a-test-of-ultimate-will-the-heartbreak-climb-uphill-got-to-pick/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [I'm going to let love lead the way, always. And I was born with this blind - blind ambition, and it's kind of gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-m-going-to-let-love-lead-the-way-always-and-i-was-born-with-this/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [Cage of freedom, that's our prison; we're the jailer and captive combined Cage of freedom, cast in power; all the trappings of our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/cage-of-freedom-that-s-our-prison-we-re-the-jailer-and-captive/) [Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/) > [We got to roll with the punches, play all of our hunches, make the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/we-got-to-roll-with-the-punches-play-all-of-our-hunches-make-the-best/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) ## More by Thomas Ligotti > [“The point that in the absence of birth nobody exists who can be deprived of happiness is terribly conspicuous. For optimists, this fact plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-point-that-in-the-absence-of-birth-nobody-exists-who-can-be/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The worst fear of the race yes, the world suddenly transformed into a senseless nightmare, horrible dissolution of things. Nothing compares, even oblivion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-worst-fear-of-the-race-yes-the-world-suddenly-transformed-into-a/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“In supernatural horror stories, however, magical thinking is a completely different matter. Those characters contending with what seems to be the work of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/in-supernatural-horror-stories-however-magical-thinking-is-a/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“When you are alone in the wilderness, opinions or beliefs of any kind are dropped as the absurd accoutrements they are. But after being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/when-you-are-alone-in-the-wilderness-opinions-or-beliefs-of-any-kind/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“There seems to be an inborn drive in all human beings not to live in a steady emotional state, which would suggest that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/there-seems-to-be-an-inborn-drive-in-all-human-beings-not-to-live-in/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Nature proceeds by blunders; that is its way. It is also ours. So if we have blundered by regarding consciousness as a blunder, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/nature-proceeds-by-blunders-that-is-its-way-it-is-also-ours-so-if-we/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [We live in a permanent state of bad faith, a mutual representation of ourselves to one another for the sake of remaining sane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/we-live-in-a-permanent-state-of-bad-faith-a-mutual-representation-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The darkness of the grotesque is an immortal enigma: in all legends of the dead, in all the tales of creatures of the night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-darkness-of-the-grotesque-is-an-immortal-enigma-in-all-legends-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“If truth is what you seek, then the examined life will only take you on a long ride to the limits of solitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/if-truth-is-what-you-seek-then-the-examined-life-will-only-take-you/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The dismembered limbs of dolls and puppets are strewn about everywhere. Posters, signs, billboards, and leaflets of various sorts are scattered around like playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-dismembered-limbs-of-dolls-and-puppets-are-strewn-about/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“As I drifted along with my bodiless invisibility, I felt myself more and more becoming an empty, floating shape, seeing without being seen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/as-i-drifted-along-with-my-bodiless-invisibility-i-felt-myself-more/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The lessons in measurement of cloacal forces. Time as a flow of sewage. The excrement of space, scatology of creation. The voiding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-lessons-in-measurement-of-cloacal-forces-time-as-a-flow-of-sewage/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [And the worst possible thing we could know — worse than knowing of our descent from a mass of microorganisms — is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/and-the-worst-possible-thing-we-could-know-worse-than-knowing-of-our/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“Only catatonics and coma patients can persevere in a dignified withdrawal from life’s rattle and hum. Without a “yes” in our hearts, nothing would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/only-catatonics-and-coma-patients-can-persevere-in-a-dignified/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [To be sane, he held, was either to be sedated by melancholy or activated by hysteria, two responses which were 'always and equally warranted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/to-be-sane-he-held-was-either-to-be-sedated-by-melancholy-or/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) [Explore all 187 Thomas Ligotti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) ## More Blind ambition quotes > [Cage of freedom, that's our prison; we're the jailer and captive combined Cage of freedom, cast in power; all the trappings of our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/cage-of-freedom-that-s-our-prison-we-re-the-jailer-and-captive/) [Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/) > [My theory about L.A. is that it's almost like you have an allergy that's dormant and just need to be put in the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-seder/my-theory-about-l-a-is-that-it-s-almost-like-you-have-an-allergy-that/) [Sam Seder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-seder/) > [Forget that blind ambition, and learn to trust your intuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/forget-that-blind-ambition-and-learn-to-trust-your-intuition/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [We got to roll with the punches, play all of our hunches, make the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/we-got-to-roll-with-the-punches-play-all-of-our-hunches-make-the-best/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [America spells competition, join us in the blind ambition, get yourself a brand new motor car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styx/america-spells-competition-join-us-in-the-blind-ambition-get-yourself/) [Styx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styx/) > [I've been playing music for a long time, mostly to empty rooms. That's not me getting the violin out. That's the reality for so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/i-ve-been-playing-music-for-a-long-time-mostly-to-empty-rooms-that-s/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [It's a test of ultimate will The heartbreak climb uphill Got to pick up the pace If you want to stay in the race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/it-s-a-test-of-ultimate-will-the-heartbreak-climb-uphill-got-to-pick/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [I'm going to let love lead the way, always. And I was born with this blind - blind ambition, and it's kind of gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-m-going-to-let-love-lead-the-way-always-and-i-was-born-with-this/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [Talent is crucial. It needs to be driven by motivation, but blind ambition isn't the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/talent-is-crucial-it-needs-to-be-driven-by-motivation-but-blind/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) [Browse all 10 Blind ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of double agents, whose agendas become so densely intertwined that they are virtually indistinguishable. Ever the Governing Executives of OneiriCon, many of whom are defectors from the Nightmare Network, throw themselves into the depths of the new order and lose all sense of identity in the ever-expanding nebula of blind ambition, which possesses a power and impetus that belongs entirely to itself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Ligotti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-complex-proliferating-intrigues/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blind ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-complex-proliferating-intrigues/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/thomas-ligotti-2073_blind-ambition_subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-co_9749.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of…” — Thomas Ligotti", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Ligotti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-complex-proliferating-intrigues/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-complex-proliferating-intrigues/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```