What’s wrong with “people” (plural) or “person” (sing.)?
Nothing in denotative expression but a lot in terms of poetic flow and syllable count. Substituting “people” into that context just wouldn’t have sounded pretty. In fact it would make the attempt at eloquent elucidation seem contrived and forced—leaving it worse off than if the meaning had just been conveyed unadorned and without an attempt to appear quotable and deep.
I was actually surprised by TheOtherDave’s response. My poetic module returned null and I was somehow fairly certain that there just wasn’t a word that would fit the requirements.
What’s wrong with “people” (plural) or “person” (sing.)?
Nothing in denotative expression but a lot in terms of poetic flow and syllable count. Substituting “people” into that context just wouldn’t have sounded pretty. In fact it would make the attempt at eloquent elucidation seem contrived and forced—leaving it worse off than if the meaning had just been conveyed unadorned and without an attempt to appear quotable and deep.
I was actually surprised by TheOtherDave’s response. My poetic module returned null and I was somehow fairly certain that there just wasn’t a word that would fit the requirements.
Yes. With “people” it sounds less like an epitaph and more like a commercial slogan to me. My favourite suggestion so far is MixedNuts’.