Kill Quotes
As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill.
"As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill."— Helen Keller
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Meaning of this quote
Human inventions can harm the people whose work makes them possible. Keller adapts an old eagle-and-arrow image to criticize industrial conditions.
Key takeaway:
Consider who bears the human costs of an apparent advance.
Origin of the quote
Out of the Dark (1920), discussion of labour-saving machinery and workers.
Who actually said this?
VerifiedThe passage is present in Keller’s prose. The eagle image has older antecedents; she applies it to industrial society rather than claiming to invent the fable.
