The phrase "this is the way the world ends" comes from T.S. Eliot's 1925 poem "The Hollow Men." The full line is "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper." It symbolizes the idea that the end of the world or a civilization does not come through a dramatic or explosive event ("a bang") but rather through a gradual, anticlimactic fading or collapse ("a whimper"). Eliot's poem reflects the disillusionment and decay of the post-World War I era, portraying a world ending quietly and almost unnoticed, rather than with grand destruction or glory.
The quote is often interpreted as a metaphor for broader cultural or spiritual decline, emphasizing a subtle, almost invisible dissolution rather than a spectacular catastrophe. It captures a somber and reflective outlook on the fragility of human existence and civilization.
If there is interest, "This Is the Way the World Ends" is also the title of a 1986 post-apocalyptic novel by James K. Morrow concerning nuclear holocaust, but the famous phrase itself originates in Eliot's poem.
