It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that for every piece of wisdom, there exists an equally valid counter-wisdom that provides balance.
George Santayana's quote highlights the idea that wisdom is often dualistic; for every truth or insight we gain, there exists an opposing perspective that is equally significant. This notion encourages a deeper understanding of life's complexities, suggesting that embracing contradictory viewpoints can lead to a more nuanced and balanced perspective on various issues.
Themes
WisdomBalanceTruthPerspectiveDuality
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about ethics, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of considering multiple viewpoints.
More from George Santayana
All quotes βThe working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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When you blame yourself, you learn from it. If you blame someone else, you don't learn nothing, cause hey, it's not your fault, it's his fault, over there.
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Is detachment the answer to freedom? No, because detachment is negative - it is to be without. The answer must be positive - I must replace what I have with something better.
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Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter.
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Reason is a crutch for age, but youth is strong enough to walk alone.
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