---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But where corpses were buried secretly…"
description: "\"“But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass grows thick; such signs (and there are ever so many others!) may be read by those to whom trut..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png"
---

#  But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass…

![“But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass grows thick; such signs (and there are ever so many others!) may be read by those to whom truth is more important than beauty.” quote by William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png)

> ““But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass grows thick; such signs (and there are ever so many others!) may be read by those to whom truth is more important than beauty.””

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Hidden graves reveal truth through the thick grass that grows over them, showing that truth outweighs beauty for some observers.

**In simple terms:** Truth can be found in overlooked places.

Key Takeaway

Seek truth beyond appearances.

Themes

truth beauty secrets observation

Mood

contemplative analytical

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- archaeology
- investigative journalism
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

metaphor nature philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What truths are hidden in plain sight?
- How do we balance truth and beauty?

A Different Perspective

Beauty can distract from deeper truths.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [Buried Secretly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried-secretly-2280821/) [Corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses/) [Corpses Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses-buried-2280822/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) [Signs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signs/) [Signs Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signs-read-978087/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [“A sign of the times. But the times has so many signs that if we read them all we'd die of heartbreak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-sign-of-the-times-but-the-times-has-so-many-signs-that-if-we-read/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“She stood. He Stood. They stood on different corners with cardboard signs. Signs that read "Why lie? I need love." signs. © 2013 All Rights Reserved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-perdu-millie-farquoix/she-stood-he-stood-they-stood-on-different-corners-with-cardboard/)

[Antonia Perdu Millie Farquoix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-perdu-millie-farquoix/)

> [Signs must be read with caution. The history of Christendom is replete with instances of people who misread the signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-vanauken/signs-must-be-read-with-caution-the-history-of-christendom-is-replete/)

[Sheldon Vanauken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-vanauken/)

> [I see the signs, but I can't read. I running at, a different speed. My heart beats in double time. Another kiss, and I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-see-the-signs-but-i-can-t-read-i-running-at-a-different-speed-my/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [“There were signs everywhere but none that I could read or even hope to decipher. These multi-lined symbols unhinged my familiar world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-abbey/there-were-signs-everywhere-but-none-that-i-could-read-or-even-hope/)

[Gerry Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-abbey/)

> [Maybe I should have seen the signs. I should have read the writing on the wall and realized by the distance in your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-i-should-have-seen-the-signs-i-should-have-read-the-writing-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If souls survive death for all eternity, how can the heavens hold them all? Or for that matter, how can the earth hold all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/if-souls-survive-death-for-all-eternity-how-can-the-heavens-hold-them/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/)

[Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/)

> [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/)

[Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/)

> [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/)

[Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/)

> [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/)

[Gig Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gig-young/)

## More by William T. Vollmann

> [Some friends and I, we went right up there behind the studio and we got on a train, we could tell it was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/some-friends-and-i-we-went-right-up-there-behind-the-studio-and-we/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [I read and write for most of the day, but I do let myself be interrupted by real life. I enjoy going out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-read-and-write-for-most-of-the-day-but-i-do-let-myself-be/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [“A treble clef, for example, resembles a Muscovite or Leningrader in a bulky hooded parka. A bass clef bends as simply and painfully as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/a-treble-clef-for-example-resembles-a-muscovite-or-leningrader-in-a/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [Oh, ants, my sisters, good old honeydew-seekers! From close up you are sticky and shiny and gristly; and your nymphs have parasitic red mites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/oh-ants-my-sisters-good-old-honeydew-seekers-from-close-up-you-are/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [It will be fun to give some to prostitutes,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/it-will-be-fun-to-give-some-to-prostitutes/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [If I didn't feel that I was doing something or trying to do something for others, then I would have very little excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/if-i-didn-t-feel-that-i-was-doing-something-or-trying-to-do-something/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [Just for the hell of it, try to love someone as unlike you as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/just-for-the-hell-of-it-try-to-love-someone-as-unlike-you-as-possible/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [“The shortest man, codenamed RIMSKY, said to me that freedom means understanding our place within the laws of history; we are more free when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/the-shortest-man-codenamed-rimsky-said-to-me-that-freedom-means/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [“Do you want to know what happiness is? Happiness is the absence of unpleasant information.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/do-you-want-to-know-what-happiness-is-happiness-is-the-absence-of/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [My father hates organized religion, probably because he hates the God who killed his little girl back in 1968. I find religions variously bemusing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/my-father-hates-organized-religion-probably-because-he-hates-the-god/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [There's an Inuit myth about the origin of the human race. There were two brothers, and the younger brother eventually gets changed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/there-s-an-inuit-myth-about-the-origin-of-the-human-race-there-were/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [Don't write for money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/don-t-write-for-money/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [I first got really interested in Noh in about 1977. There was an independent bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana where I was going to high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-first-got-really-interested-in-noh-in-about-1977-there-was-an/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [“More aid, better directed! Couldn't we all use that? And what if the universe enacts less aid, more poorly directed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/more-aid-better-directed-couldn-t-we-all-use-that-and-what-if-the/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

> [“whatever fate sends us quickly becomes us, and we grow blind to what we might otherwise have been. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/whatever-fate-sends-us-quickly-becomes-us-and-we-grow-blind-to-what/)

[William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

[Explore all 186 William T. Vollmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

[Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/)

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass grows thick; such signs (and there are ever so many others!) may be read by those to whom truth is more important than beauty.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William T. Vollmann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-there-the-grass-grows-thick/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-there-the-grass-grows-thick/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/william-t-vollmann-2100_beauty_but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-t_223773.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But where corpses were buried secretly, there the grass grows thick; such signs (and there are ever so many…” — William T. Vollmann",
                "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": "William T. Vollmann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But where corpses were buried secretly,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-there-the-grass-grows-thick/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/but-where-corpses-were-buried-secretly-there-the-grass-grows-thick/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
