Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
Paul TillichRead
Astonishment is the root of philosophy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Astonishment is the starting point for philosophical inquiry and understanding.
In this quote, Paul Tillich emphasizes the importance of astonishment as a fundamental element in philosophy. It suggests that a sense of wonder and surprise about the world leads to deeper questioning and exploration of existence, encouraging individuals to seek understanding beyond surface-level perceptions.
Themes
AstonishmentPhilosophyWonderInquiryUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote when discussing the foundations of philosophical thought in a classroom.
More from Paul Tillich
All quotes βCruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
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He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
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The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
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The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
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Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
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Nobody ever completely means what they say. Even when they think they're telling the truth, there's always something hidden behind their words.
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Downstairs in the lounge, by the third pillar from the left, there sits an old lady with a sweet, placid, spinsterish face and a mind that has plumbed the depths of human iniquity and taken it all as in the day's work....where crime is concerned, she's the goods.
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No one shall expel us from the paradise that Cantor has created for us.
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