"Relearn astonishment, stop grasping for knowledge, lose the habit of the past."

Elias Canetti Literature See all quotes by Elias Canetti →

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“Whenever the truth threatens, he hides behind a thought.”

“Nothing was better for you than humiliation, for there was nothing you felt more deeply.”

“His great holy books, which he does not know. They are so holy that he does not dare to open them.”

“If one has lived long enough, there is danger of succumbing to the word “God” merely because it was always there.”

“He sometimes tells himself that there is nothing more to be said, simply because he won’t get around to saying it.—How contemptible!”

“Say the most personal thing, say it, nothing else matters, don’t be ashamed, the generalities can be found in the newspaper.”

Resonant Thoughts

"Your strength as a rationalist is your ability to be more confused by fiction than by reality. If you are equally good at explaining any outcome, you have zero knowledge."

— Eliezer Yudkowsky

Literature1979

#knowledge

"Every man has to settle down eventually. You know why you gotta settle down eventually? Because you don't want to be the old guy in the club. You know what I'm talking about. Every club you go into, t…"

— Chris Rock

Entertainment1965

#knowledge

"It's like catching a fish, you know what I mean? It's the fish that's beautiful, not the fisherman. And I think whoever hasn't understood that attitude in Queens is not here any more. And if I ever th…"

— Josh Homme

Music1973

#knowledge

"But when the good people do know, as they certainly do, that three million persons were starved to death in one year by the methods they approve, why do they still fraternize with the murderers and su…"

— Isabel Paterson

Literature1886–1961

#knowledge