It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Capitalism's dominance can be challenged, much like past systems of power, and art plays a crucial role in fostering resistance and change.
In this quote, Ursula K. Le Guin emphasizes the idea that while capitalism may appear to be an all-encompassing force in society, it is not beyond challenge. She draws a parallel to historical power structures, such as the divine right of kings, to illustrate that all forms of power can be resisted. Furthermore, she highlights that resistance and transformation often begin with artistic expression, particularly through the use of language, suggesting that art serves as a powerful medium for enacting social change and influencing people's perspectives.
Themes
CapitalismResistanceArtChangePower
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on social change, I might say, 'We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable...'
More from Ursula K. Le Guin
All quotes →In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have changed a little... But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Reason is a faculty far larger than mere objective force. When either the political or the scientific discourse announces itself as the voice of reason, it is playing God, and should be spanked and stood in the corner.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
When he found that the administrators were upset, he laughed. “Do they expect students not to be anarchists?” he said. “What else can the young be? When you are on the bottom, you must organize from the bottom up
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
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