Quote by William Hazlitt
Death cancels everything but truth; and strips a man of everything but genius and virtue. It is a sort of natural canonization. It makes the meanest of us sacred --it installs the poet in his immortality, and lifts him to the skies. Death is the greatest assayer of the sterling ore of talent. At his touch the dropsy particles fall off, the irritable, the personal, the gross, and mingle with the dust --the finer and more ethereal part mounts with winged spirit to watch over our latest memory, and protect our bones from insult. We consign the least worthy qualities to oblivion, and cherish the nobler and imperishable nature with double pride and fondness.
Summary
This quote suggests that death has a transformative power. It acts as a filter, stripping away the superficial and ignoble aspects of a person, and revealing their true essence of genius and virtue. Death is seen as a natural canonization process where even the humblest individuals become sacred. The quote emphasizes the immortality of poets, as death elevates their work and lifts them to heavenly realms. Furthermore, death serves as a measure of talent; it separates the insignificant from the significant and allows the finer and more ethereal qualities to soar while the lesser ones fade away.
Topics
Death
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