All national histories are partisan and designed to give us a good conceit of ourselves.
T. E. HulmeRead
Born with blue spectacles, you would think the world was blue and never be conscious of the existence of the distorting glass.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our perspectives shape our understanding of the world, often without us realizing it.
This quote by T. E. Hulme underscores the idea that our perceptions can be inherently limited by our inherent biases and experiences, resembling how someone born with blue spectacles would perceive everything through a blue tint. It suggests that we may be unaware of the influences that color our understanding and interpretations of reality, just as the person wearing blue spectacles does not recognize the source of their distorted view.
Themes
PerspectivePerceptionBiasUnderstandingReality
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of diversity in viewpoints.
More from T. E. Hulme
All quotes βNo history can be a faithful mirror. If it were, it would be as long and as dull as life itself. It must be a selection, and, being a selection, must inevitably be biased.
T. E. HulmeRead
Similar quotes
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.
Paul MccartneyRead
The answer is, who you are cannot be defined through thinking or mental labels or definitions, because it's beyond that. It is the very sense of being, or presence, that is there when you become conscious of the present moment. In essence, you and what we call the present moment are, at the deepest level, one.
Eckhart TolleRead
Money has transformed every watchdog, every independent authority. Medical doctors are increasingly gulled by the lobbying of pharmaceutical salesmen.
Thomas FrankRead
That God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not.
Thomas PaineRead
Man prefers to blame himself for all possible sins and crimes rather than come to the conclusion that God is capable of the most flagrant injustice. I still blush every time I think of the way God makes fun of human beings, his favorite toys.
Elie WieselRead
She [Alice] went on "And how do you know that you're mad?" "To begin with," said the Cat, "a dog's not mad. You grant that?" "I suppose so," said Alice. "Well, then," the Cat went on, "you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags it's tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad."
Lewis CarrollRead