Das war ein vorspeil nur; That was only a prelude; dort wo man Buecher verbrennt, Where one burns books, vebrennt man auch am Ende One will also burn people Menchen. Eventually.
Heinrich HeineRead
In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide; he knows the roads and paths better than a man who can see. When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind, old men as guides.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that in times of uncertainty, tradition and faith can provide guidance, but as clarity is achieved, one should seek wisdom and awareness.
Heinrich Heine's quote draws an analogy between navigating through dark times and relying on religious or traditional guidance, likening it to a blind man knowing the paths in the dark. However, he warns that as enlightenment or understanding emerges ('daylight'), it becomes unwise to depend on outdated or blind guidance. This reflects the need for critical thinking and adaptive wisdom as circumstances change.
Themes
GuidanceTraditionWisdomBlindnessKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy class, when discussing the role of tradition in ethics.
More from Heinrich Heine
All quotes →Life is all too wondrous sweet, and the world is so beautifully bewildered; it is the dream of an intoxicated divinity.
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Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.
Heinrich HeineRead
I care little in the existence of a heaven or hell; self respect does not allow me to guide my acts with an eye toward heavenly salvation or hellish punishment. I pursue the good in life because it is beautiful and attracts me; and shun the bad because it is ugly and repulsive. All our acts should originate from the spring of unselfish love, whether there be a continuation after death or not.
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I wept in my dreams. I dreamed you lay in the grave; I awoke, and the tears still poured down my cheeks. I wept in my dreams, I dreamed you had left me; I awoke and I went on weeping long and bitterly. I wept in my dreams, I dreamed you were still kind to me; I awoke, and still the flow of my tears streams on.
Heinrich HeineRead
Oh, they loved dearly: their souls kissed, they kissed with their eyes, they were both but one single kiss.
Heinrich HeineRead
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