I believe in the compelling power of love. I do not understand it. I believe it to be the most fragrant blossom of all this thorny existence.
Theodore DreiserRead
Assure a man that he has a soul and then frighten him with old wives' tales as to what is to become of him afterward, and you have hooked a fish, a mental slave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that instilling fear about the afterlife can easily control people's thoughts and actions.
Theodore Dreiser's quote illustrates how the belief in a soul and the fear of consequences after death can trap individuals into a state of mental subjugation. By exploiting these fears, one can dominate the thoughts and behaviors of others, making them metaphorically akin to fish caught on a hook: they are ensnared by their beliefs and fears, leading to a loss of mental freedom and autonomy.
Themes
SoulFearBeliefControlFreedomThoughts
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about religion and morality, this quote can be used to illustrate how fear often motivates people.
More from Theodore Dreiser
All quotes βAnd then he sank back and tried, as usual, not to think. He must succeed. That's what the world was made for. That's what he was made for. That was what he would have to do.
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Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.
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If I were personally to define religion, I would say that it is a bandage that man has invented to protect a soul made bloody by circustance.
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Our civilization is still in a middle stage, scarcely beast, in that it is no longer wholly guided by instinct; scarcely human, in that it is not yet wholly guided by reason.
Theodore DreiserRead
People in general attach too much importance to words. They are under the illusion that talking effects great results. As a matter of fact, words are, as a rule, the shallowest portion of all the argument. They but dimly represent the great surging feelings and desires which lie behind. When the distraction of the tongue is removed, the heart listens.
Theodore DreiserRead
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Something I owe to the soil that grew-More to the life that fed-But most to Allah who gave me two Separate sides of my head. I would go without shirt or shoes, Friends, tobacco, or bread Sooner than for an instant lose Either side of my head.
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