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Almost anything carried to a logical extreme becomes depressing.
Ursula K. Le Guin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Extreme ideas or beliefs, when taken too far, can lead to negativity and hopelessness.

This quote by Ursula K. Le Guin suggests that when we take any idea or concept to its logical conclusion without moderation, we often end up in a bleak or disheartening place. It emphasizes the importance of balance and caution in our thinking, as extremes can obscure the nuances and complexities of life, leading to a sense of despair.

Themes

ExtremeDepressionBalanceModerationPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about political ideologies, this quote can highlight the dangers of radicalism.

More from Ursula K. Le Guin

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
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In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have changed a little... But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Reason is a faculty far larger than mere objective force. When either the political or the scientific discourse announces itself as the voice of reason, it is playing God, and should be spanked and stood in the corner.
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The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
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We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
When he found that the administrators were upset, he laughed. β€œDo they expect students not to be anarchists?” he said. β€œWhat else can the young be? When you are on the bottom, you must organize from the bottom up
Ursula K. Le GuinRead

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