"Often and often must he have thought, that, to be or not to be forever, was a question, which must be settled; as it is the foundation, and the only foundation upon which we feel that there can rest one thought, one feeling, or one purpose worthy of a human soul"
About this Quote
Existence here isn’t a mood; it’s an audit. Jones Very takes Hamlet’s famous dilemma and strips it of theatrical suspense, turning “to be or not to be” into something colder and more devotional: not a passing question, but the question that keeps coming back until it’s “settled.” The repetition (“Often and often”) matters. It mimics obsession, but also prayer - the way a mind returns to one line until it becomes a discipline.
Very’s intent is to elevate ontology into ethics. He argues that you don’t get to build a meaningful life on vibes, appetite, or even intellect alone; you need a committed answer to whether being is worth choosing. That’s the subtext: modern life offers endless purposes, but Very insists none are “worthy of a human soul” unless they rest on a prior, almost metaphysical yes. In an era when American Protestant culture was both intensely moral and increasingly shaken by doubt, this reads like a counterpunch to skepticism: your feelings and projects are only as sturdy as your commitment to existence itself.
The line’s rhetorical force comes from its absolutism. “Foundation, and the only foundation” is deliberately uncompromising - a poetic maneuver that turns uncertainty into a structural problem. If you haven’t decided to be, you can’t trust your own motives; every ambition becomes a house built on fog. Very isn’t comforting the reader. He’s cornering them, using elevated diction and the moral weight of “human soul” to make indecision feel not just painful, but spiritually unserious.
Very’s intent is to elevate ontology into ethics. He argues that you don’t get to build a meaningful life on vibes, appetite, or even intellect alone; you need a committed answer to whether being is worth choosing. That’s the subtext: modern life offers endless purposes, but Very insists none are “worthy of a human soul” unless they rest on a prior, almost metaphysical yes. In an era when American Protestant culture was both intensely moral and increasingly shaken by doubt, this reads like a counterpunch to skepticism: your feelings and projects are only as sturdy as your commitment to existence itself.
The line’s rhetorical force comes from its absolutism. “Foundation, and the only foundation” is deliberately uncompromising - a poetic maneuver that turns uncertainty into a structural problem. If you haven’t decided to be, you can’t trust your own motives; every ambition becomes a house built on fog. Very isn’t comforting the reader. He’s cornering them, using elevated diction and the moral weight of “human soul” to make indecision feel not just painful, but spiritually unserious.
Quote Details
| Topic | Meaning of Life |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
More Quotes by Jones
Add to List
