Literary notes about indestructible (AI summary)
The word “indestructible” has served as a powerful literary device to convey both physical imperishability and the unyielding nature of abstract principles. In classical texts, such as those by Plato, it denotes eternal entities like the soul and the immutable aspects of the universe ([1], [2], [3]), while in more modern contexts it has been applied to tangible objects, as seen when Thoreau and Conrad describe the near-invincibility of material things ([4], [5], [6]). Meanwhile, writers like Emerson, Carlyle, and Schopenhauer use the term to signify moral fortitude and an enduring essence in human relationships and ethical constructs ([7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12]). Its versatility is further illustrated in various imaginative scenarios—from Mark Twain’s humorous depiction of a stubborn bicycle ([13]) to Jefferson’s anatomical observations ([14]) and even in poetic expressions of everlasting love ([15]). Additionally, Rousseau’s and Russell’s philosophical musings extend the concept to ideas of sovereignty and the immutable nature of reason ([16], [17], [18]). Through these examples, “indestructible” emerges as a multidimensional term, bridging the tangible with the abstract and thereby enriching the texture of literary and philosophical texts.
- If the soul is indestructible, the number of souls can never increase or diminish.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - There is also a third nature—that of space, which is indestructible, and is perceived by a kind of spurious reason without the help of sense.
— from Timaeus by Plato - He speaks also of the world as one and indestructible: 'for neither from within nor from without does it admit of destruction' (Tim).
— from Timaeus by Plato - They are almost indestructible.
— from Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau - Property seems to them an indestructible thing.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad - The thought of a mankind as numerous as the sands of the sea-shore, as indestructible, as difficult to handle, oppressed him.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad - This poor Scandinavian Hero-worship, that whole Norse way of looking at the Universe, and adjusting oneself there, has an indestructible merit for us.
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - But even after this dissolution the purely ethical part must always remain uninjured, because it is indestructible.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer - As such it is precious as the sign of an indestructible instinct.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - But the notion has remained indestructible through all ages, and must therefore be accounted for, as have been the others.
— from Know the Truth: A Critique on the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jesse Henry Jones - While old false Formulas are getting trampled everywhere into destruction, new genuine Substances unexpectedly unfold themselves indestructible.
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - A Symbol which might be called sacred; for is there not, in reverence for what is better than we, an indestructible sacredness?
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle - I dragged myself out from under the indestructible bicycle and sat down on the curb to examine.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain - Their enormously large, hard, and indestructible heads may be of use in protecting them against the attacks of insectivorous animals.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - "But love is indestructible, Its holy flame for ever burneth; From heaven it came, To heaven returneth.
— from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism by Thomas Inman and M.R.C.S.E. John Newton - Sovereignty, on the other hand, is in his view absolute, inalienable, indivisible, and indestructible.
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - That the general Will is indestructible II Voting III Elections IV The Roman Comitia V The Tribunate VI The Dictatorship VII
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Moreover it is not fleeting or changeable like the things of sense: it is eternally itself, immutable and indestructible.
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell