“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language.” Presenting humanity as a single, meaningful work shaped by mortality · Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII Death Faith
“Affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath enough of it.” Finding spiritual value and insight in suffering · Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII Despair Faith
“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Connecting private grief with the mortality of the whole human community · Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII Death Mortality
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” A powerful expression of human connectedness and shared responsibility · Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII Friendship Mortality
