Very Good to Have Been Man

But one thing is certain. Man himself, at the very least, is music, a brave theme that makes music also of its vast accompaniment, its matrix of storms and stars. Man himself in his degree is eternally a beauty in the eternal form of things. It is very good to have been man. And so we may go forward together with laughter in our hearts, and peace, thankful for the past, and for our own courage. For we shall make after all a fair conclusion to this brief music that is man.

Last and First Men (1930) by Olaf Stapledon

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Context: The closing lines of the book, spoken by the youngest of the Last Men.

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Source: Chapter XVI, The Last of Man, section 3: Epilogue

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