“The law of revolution is red, fiery, deadly; but this death means the birth of new life, a new star. And the law of entropy is cold, ice blue, like the icy interplanetary infinities. The flame turns from red to an even, warm pink, no longer deadly, but comfortable.”
On Literature, Revolution, Entropy and Other Matters (1923)
Context: The law of revolution is red, fiery, deadly; but this death means the birth of new life, a new star. And the law of entropy is cold, ice blue, like the icy interplanetary infinities. The flame turns from red to an even, warm pink, no longer deadly, but comfortable. The sun ages into a planet, convenient for highways, stores, beds, prostitutes, prisons: this is the law. And if the planet is to be kindled into youth again, it must be set on fire, it must be thrown off the smooth highway of evolution: this is the law.
The flame will cool tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow (in the Book of Genesis days are equal to years, ages). But someone must see this already today, and speak heretically today about tomorrow. Heretics are the only (bitter) remedy against the entropy of human thought.
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Yevgeny Zamyatin 34
Russian author 1884–1937Related quotes

As quoted in Futurism, ed. Didier Ottinger; Centre Pompidou / 5 Continents Editions, Milan, 2008, p. 174
1910, Manifesto of Futurist Painters,' April 1910

Letter to Husák

“Black A, white E, red I, green U, blue O: vowels,
Someday I shall recount your latent births.”
A noir, E blanc, I rouge, U vert, O bleu: voyelles,
Je dirai quelque jour vos naissances latentes !
Voyelles http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/poesies/Vowels.html (Vowels (1871)

“I have forgotten much, but still remember
The poinsiana's red, blood-red in warm December.”
Flame-Heart, l. 9-10