ironically enough, the only people who can hold up indefinitely under the stress of modern war are psychotics. Individual insanity is immune to the consequences of collective insanity.

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited [Amazon, Publisher, Local Library]

Hermetic quote Huxley Brave New World Revisited ironically hold up indefinitely stress modern war psychotic individual insanity immune collective insanity

Consider also:

  1. “Quick death by malaria has been abolished; but life made miserable by undernourishment and over-crowding is now the rule, and slow death by outright starvation threatens ever greater numbers.”
  2. “The poets and artists and philosophers, resistance activists, secret scouts and troublemakers, had become, as they must, soldiers.”
  3. “So you think I’m mad?” said Conway at length. Mallinson broke into a nervous laugh. “Well, I should damn well say so, after a tale like that. I mean … well, really … such utter nonsense … it seems to me rather beyond arguing about.”
  4. “CUTHBERT: Ashton, I’m an adult. I should be treated like an adult. And this is religious intolerance. ASHTON: Come on! CUTHBERT: I didn’t attack you when I found you performing your ritual to Atlach-Nacha. ASHTON: (Pause) You know I don’t like talking about religion.”
  5. “It’s Chung Fu,” Juliana said. “Inner Truth. I know without using the chart, too. And I know what it means.” Raising his head, Hawthorne scrutinized her. He had now an almost savage expression. “It means, does it, that my book is true?” “Yes,” she said. With anger he said, “Germany and Japan lost the war.” “Yes.”