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Eruption Quotes

On pressure breaking into sudden, visible change.

These eruption quotes move between the literal and the political: one recalls climbing an actively erupting Stromboli at night, while another traces the word to the 'eruption of violence in Ukraine' during years of reporting in the region.

First of all, there was a volcano of words, an eruption of words that Shakespeare had never used before that had never been used in the English language before. It's astonishing. It pours out of him.

Quotes by Stephen Greenblatt

The eruption of lived pleasure is such that in losing myself I find myself; forgetting that I exist, I realize myself.

Quotes by Raoul Vaneigem

I think when people think of Pompeii, they think it was just destroyed by the volcano. Yes, it was the eruption of the volcano that eventually caused the pyroclastic surge that swept over Pompeii and destroyed it for good. But...

Quotes by Paul W. S. Anderson

It is far easier and more effective - and not just in terms of cost - to prevent conventional conflicts than to intervene after an eruption of violence.

Quotes by Miroslav Lajcak

Actually Quotes

I've climbed Stromboli when it's erupting, which is quite a heavy climb: three hours with a helmet to get to the top. When you're there, and it's dark, and you can see this eruption and feel it, it's quite different...

Quotes by Michelle Paver

During two decades, on and off, reporting in Russia and the post-Soviet states - in the turbulent '90s, the wealthy but depressing aughts and, finally, during the eruption of violence in Ukraine - I occasionally heard people talk about how...

Quotes by Keith Gessen

Obsidian was caused by volcanoes, an eruption of steam and gas so furious that it melted the earth itself into this hard, shiny object.

Quotes by Kathi Appelt

Evolution, cell biology, biochemistry, and developmental biology have made extraordinary progress in the last hundred years - much of it since I was weaned on schoolboy biology in the 1930s. Most striking of all is the sudden eruption of molecular...

Quotes by John Tyler Bonner

We still carry this old caveman-imprint idea that we're small, nature's big, and it's everything we can manage to hang on and survive. When big geophysical events happen - a huge earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption - we're reminded of...

Quotes by James Balog

Big Quotes

A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way.

Quotes by Fisher Ames

I took part in what was actually the last eruption of Marxist internationalism.

Quotes by Christopher Hitchens

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do these eruption quotes focus on volcanoes or conflict?
Both. One quote describes climbing an erupting volcano at night, another explains how obsidian formed from a volcanic eruption, while two others use "eruption" to describe sudden outbreaks of violence and conflict.
What does the quote about preventing conflict argue?
It claims it's far easier, and cheaper, to prevent conventional conflicts than to intervene after violence has already erupted, treating eruption as the point of no return in a crisis.
Why do people search for eruption quotes?
Some want vivid, literal descriptions of volcanic activity for writing or reference, while others are looking for a striking metaphor for sudden conflict or upheaval, like the eruption of violence in Ukraine.
What is the connection between obsidian and eruption in these quotes?
One quote explains obsidian was created by a volcanic eruption of steam and gas so intense it melted the earth into a hard, shiny material, a concrete geological detail rather than a metaphor.
Are there related quotes about danger or sudden change?
Yes, see our Dark quotes for more on danger and uncertainty, or Biology quotes for other natural-science themes.

A more scientific quote explains how obsidian formed from a volcanic eruption of steam and gas fierce enough to melt earth into glass. For more sudden, high-stakes moments, see our Dark and Big quotes.