My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often cling to their self-identity and would rather die than change it.
This quote reflects on the human tendency to create and adhere to a specific identity throughout life. It suggests that individuals can become so intertwined with their self-conception that the idea of embodying a completely different self—being the antithesis of their own identity—can be more frightening than death itself. Herbert implies that identity is a powerful force that can dictate one’s actions and choices, illustrating the struggle many face when confronted with the possibility of transformation or change.
Themes
IdentitySelfChangeTransformationFearPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about embracing change, one might refer to this quote to illustrate the fear of losing one's identity.
More from Frank Herbert
All quotes →If you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
Frank HerbertRead
Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
Frank HerbertRead
To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
Frank HerbertRead
Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
Frank HerbertRead
It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
Frank HerbertRead
Similar quotes
Big? Sure. But, he can't catch mice! So for your big tree. No use? Then plant it in the wasteland - in emptiness. Walk idly around it and rest under it's shadow. No axe or saw prepares its end. No one will ever cut it down. Useless? You should worry!.
ZhuangziRead
The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved.
Niccolo MachiavelliRead
In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.
Miyamoto MusashiRead
Great people plant trees they'll never sit under.
Alfred North WhiteheadRead
There is something tragic about the enormous number of young men there are in England at the present moment who start life with perfect profiles, and end by adopting some useful profession.
Oscar WildeRead
The past is a trail you leave behind, much like the wake of a speedboat. That is, it's a vanishing trail temporarily showing you where you were. The wake of a boat doesn't affect it's course-obviously it can't since it appears behind the boat. So consider this image when you exclaim that your past is the reason you aren't moving forward.
Wayne DyerRead