Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.
William GaddisRead
He walked out into the cold morning asking himself this heretical question: Can you start measuring a minute at any instant you wish?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the nature of time and our perception of it.
William Gaddis raises a profound philosophical question about the measurement and perception of time. By suggesting that one can start measuring a minute at any instant, he invites contemplation on the subjective nature of time and how our personal experiences can alter its meaning, emphasizing that time is not merely a fixed framework but rather a fluid concept shaped by individual perspective.
Themes
TimePerceptionPhilosophyQuestionSubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about how personal experiences shape our understanding of time.
More from William Gaddis
All quotes βI see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the binary world where there is no option other than yes or no and where there is no refuge.
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Say a word, say a thousand to me on the telephone and I shall choose the wrong one to cling to as though you had said it after long deliberation when only I provoked it from you, I will cling to it from among a thousand, to be provoked and hurl it back with something I mean no more than you meant that, something for you to cling to and retreat clinging to.
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How real is any of the past, being every moment revalued to make the present possible.
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