Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
Belief in God? An afterlife? I believe in rock: this apodictic rock beneath my feet.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes a strong belief in the tangible and enduring reality of nature over abstract religious concepts.
In this quote, Edward Abbey expresses a conviction that while some may put their faith in a deity or an afterlife, he finds his certainty in the natural world around him, specifically symbolized by the rock beneath his feet. This reflects a philosophical stance that prioritizes physical, observable truths over spiritual or metaphysical beliefs.
Themes
BeliefNatureRealityPhilosophyRock
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about environmentalism to emphasize the importance of nature.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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