A society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future. Let us strive to enhance their capacity to support themselves for as long as possible and, when they cannot do so anymore, to care for them.
Nelson MandelaRead
Despots prefer the friendship of the dog, who, unjustly mistreated and debased, still loves and serves the man who wronged him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the loyalty of those who are mistreated, comparing it to the relationship between despots and their loyal dogs.
Charles Fourier reflects on the nature of loyalty and servitude in this quote, suggesting that those in power, like despots, often seek the companionship of those who, despite being treated poorly, remain devoted. This loyalty is portrayed as both a testament to the dogβs character and a critique of the power dynamics in human relationships, where loyalty can be exploited even in the face of injustice.
Themes
LoyaltyServitudeInjusticePowerRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about loyalty and sacrifice, one might evoke this quote to illustrate how true commitment can endure despite suffering.
Similar quotes
One can quite understand vegetarianism. One can quite understand meat-eating. But it is difficult to understand why a person who is a flesh-eater should object to one kind of flesh, namely cow's flesh. This is an anomaly which call for explanation.
B. R. AmbedkarRead
What is essential, therefore, is not that you no longer believe, but that God continues to believe in you.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
I don't think one can write from a compromised moral position.
W. G. SebaldRead
I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about. I don't know what I'm about.
Christopher IsherwoodRead
Not that that mystical stuff's necessarily true: The only thing that's capital-T true is that you get to decide how you're going to try to see it.
David Foster WallaceRead