Let us face a pluralistic world in which there are no universal churches, no single remedy for all diseases, no one way to teach or write or sing, no magic diet, no world poets, and no chosen races, but only the wretched and wonderfully diversified human race.
To denounce does not free the self from what it hates, any more than ignoring the past shuts off its influence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Rejecting something does not release a person from its negative impact, just as ignoring the past does not erase its effects.
This quote emphasizes that merely denouncing or rejecting something a person dislikes does not alleviate the internal struggle associated with that sentiment. It suggests that one must confront and acknowledge their feelings and past influences rather than attempt to escape them through denial or condemnation. Ignoring these aspects does not diminish their power over one's life; instead, they require thoughtful consideration and resolution for true liberation.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about how to cope with trauma, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of facing one's past.
More from Jacques Barzun
All quotes βMachines are admirable and tyrannize only with the user's consent. Where, then, is the enemy? Not where the machine gives relief from drudgery but where human judgment abdicates. The smoothest machine-made product of the age is the organization man, for even the best organizing principle tends to corrupt, and the mechanical principle corrupts absolutely.
In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.
I can only think that the book is read because it deals with the difficulties of schooling, which do not change. Please note: the difficulties, not the problems. Problems are solved or disappear with the revolving times. Difficulities remain. It will always be difficult to teach well, to learn accurately; to read, write, and count readily and competently; to acquire a sense of history and start one's education or anothers.
Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.
The world has long observed that small acts of immorality, if repeated, will destroy character. It is equally manifest, though never said, that uttering nonsense and half-truth without cease ends by destroying Intellect
Similar quotes
Imagine no possessions; I wonder if you can.
If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.
His life, measured in space and time, will take up a mere few lines, which my ignorance will abbreviate further.
Those who wish to promote the welfare of the people should advance in solidarity with them and select the path most suitable for them. Since the history of our people is different from that of the people of the West, the steps that the two peoples choose to take in order to advance must also be different.
LSD, yeah, the big parade β everybody's doin' it now. Take LSD, then you are a poet, an intellectual. What a sick mob. I am building a machine gun in my closet now to take out as many of them as I can before they get me.
You can put anything into words, except your own life.