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That's why no one is truly moved by a single phrase. We often quote memorable bits from larger works ("to be, or not to be"), but that quote is only memorable because the entire work makes us believe that it is not an accident.



I was by a famous 6 word poem: "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn."


Yeah. But the thing is, after you have own baby, you may find yourself with like 5 pairs of never worn baby shoes.

So while it somewhat suggest death, it is only because of the literally context, which makes you expect something deep. If you seen that in an ad, you would not feel the same.


Sure, there are exceptions. And for those exceptions it may be fair to say that perhaps they were just a lucky stumble.

Even here I do wonder how well this poem would be remembered if it weren't associated with Hemingway.




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