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413 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 1946
鈥淚nsects were scurrying about in the shade cast by the grass, and the lawn was a huge monotonous forest of thousands of little green blades, all equal, all alike, hiding the world from each other. Anguished, she thought, "I don't want to be just another blade of grass.鈥�Part historical fiction part philosophy, by was written, I can only imagine, to make us wonder about life itself.
鈥業 don鈥檛 believe in the future,鈥� I said.
鈥楾here will be a future, that at least is certain.鈥�
鈥楤ut all of you speak of it as if it were going to be a paradise. There won鈥檛 be any paradises, and that鈥檚 equally certain.鈥�
鈥極f course not.鈥� He studied me, seemed to be searching my face to find the words that might win me over. 鈥楶aradise for us is simply the moment when the dreams we dream today are finally realized. We鈥檙e well aware that after that other men will have new needs, new desires, will make new demands.鈥欌€�
鈥業鈥檝e had a little smattering of history. You鈥檙e not teaching me anything. Everything that鈥檚 ever done finally ends by being undone. I realize that. And from the hour you鈥檙e born you begin to die. But between birth and death there鈥檚 life.鈥欌€�
鈥業n my opinion, we should concern ourselves only with that part of the future on which we have a hold. But we should try our best to enlarge our hold on it as much as possible.鈥欌€�
鈥榊ou admit,鈥� I said after a short silence, 鈥榯hat you鈥檙e working for only a limited future.鈥�
鈥楢 limited future, a limited life 鈥� that鈥檚 our lot as men. And it鈥檚 enough,鈥� he said. 鈥業f I knew that in fifty years it would be against the law to employ children in factories, against the law for men to work more than ten hours a day, if I knew that the people would choose their own representatives, that the press would be free, I would be completely satisfied.鈥� Again his eyes fell upon me. 鈥榊ou find the workers鈥� conditions abominable. Well, think of those workers you know personally, only of them. Don鈥檛 you want to help change their lot in life?鈥欌€�