We ought not to extract pernicious honey from poison blossoms of misrepresentation and mendacious half-truth, to pamper the course appetite of bigotry and self-love.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
My case is a species of madness, only that it is a derangement of the Volition, and not of the intellectual faculties.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a condition where one’s will is disturbed, highlighting a difference between madness of the mind and madness of the will.
In this quote, Samuel Taylor Coleridge reflects on the nature of madness, suggesting that while one may possess sound intellect, their will or volition can become unhinged. This distinction serves to explore the complexities of human experience and the inner workings of the mind, suggesting that one can be rational yet still struggle with their willpower and desires.
Themes
MadnessVolitionIntellectWillpowerHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion about free will and mental health, this quote can be used to illustrate the complexity of human volition.
More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge
All quotes →Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
Often do the spirits stride on before the event; and in today already walks tomorrow.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
Mr. Lyell's system of geology is just half the truth, and no more. He affirms a great deal that is true, and he denies a great deal which is equally true; which is the general characteristic of all systems not embracing the whole truth.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
To believe and to understand are not diverse things, but the same things in different periods of growth.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
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How little remains of the man I once was, save the memory of him! But remembering is only a new form of suffering.
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