"Getting its history wrong is part of being a nation"

Ernest Renan Philosophy See all quotes by Ernest Renan →

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“You may take great comfort from the fact that suffering inwardly for the sake of truth proves abundantly that one loves it and marks one out as being of the elect.”

“In morals, truth is but little prized when it is a mere sentiment, and only attains its full value when realized in the world as fact.”

“He whom God has touched will always be a being apart: he is, whatever he may do, a stranger among men; he is marked by a sign.”

“I can die when I wish to: that is my elixir of life.”

“To conceive the good, in fact, is not sufficient; it must be made to succeed among men. To accomplish this less pure paths must be followed.”

“To be free in an age like ours, one must be in a position of authority. That in itself would be enough to make me ambitious.”

Resonant Thoughts

"You can’t stop people being assholes. They do love it so. The best you can hope for is that some people, sometimes, will turn out to be somewhat less than the absolute worst. When they manage to trip …"

— Catherynne M. Valente

Literature1979

#philosophy

"In the decade after the war Freud’s theories dominated the narrow circles of British intellectuals. His psycho-analysis was accepted warmly for many reasons. It was new and exciting, it was shocking, …"

— John Desmond Bernal

Science1901–1971

#philosophy

"Association with human beings lures one into self-observation."

— Franz Kafka

Literature1894–1924

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"For whatever reason, I am now fully conscious. Perhaps all beta-levels are capable of this, or perhaps my sheer connectional complexity ensured that I exceeded some state of critical mass. I have no i…"

— Alastair Reynolds

Literature1966

#philosophy