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Atheism in its negation of gods is at the same time the strongest affirmation of man, and through man, the eternal yea to life, purpose, and beauty.
Emma Goldman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Atheism rejects the belief in gods while affirming the importance and value of human existence.

Emma Goldman's quote suggests that atheism, by denying the existence of divine beings, simultaneously elevates humanity and provides a meaningful affirmation to life. It emphasizes that through the recognition of mankind's existence, purpose, and the appreciation of beauty, individuals can find significance in life without reliance on religious beliefs.

Themes

AtheismHumanityPurposeLifeBeauty

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about the role of religion in society.

More from Emma Goldman

On rare occasions one does hear of a miraculous case of a married couple falling in love after marriage, but on close examination it will be found that it is a mere adjustment to the inevitable.
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No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.
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To the indefinite, uncertain mind of the American radical the most contradictory ideas and methods are possible. The result is a sad chaos in the radical movement, a sort of intellectual hash, which has neither taste nor character.
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John Burroughs has stated that experimental study of animals in captivity is absolutely useless. Their character, their habits, their appetites undergo a complete transformation when torn from their soil in field and forest. With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities?
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Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination.
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If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction that never fails to lay stress on a plus and a minus.
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