And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
So from then on, he looked at all his choices and said, What would a good person do, and then did it. But he has now learned something very important about human nature. If you spend your whole life pretending to be good, then you are indistinguishable from a good person. Relentless hypocrisy eventually becomes the truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the blurred lines between appearance and reality in moral behavior.
In this quote, Orson Scott Card explores the complexity of human morality, suggesting that if someone dedicates themselves to acting morally, they may eventually embody those qualities authentically. It warns against the dangers of hypocrisy, asserting that persistent pretense can lead to a genuine transformation, where the distinction between the pretender and the truly good person becomes indistinguishable.
Themes
MoralityHypocrisyHuman NatureGoodnessChoices
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on moral philosophy, one might say, 'As Orson Scott Card noted, relentless hypocrisy becomes the truth, which makes us reflect on our own actions.'
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Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
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The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
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You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
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I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
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