The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
Umberto EcoRead
A dream is a scripture, and many scriptures are nothing but dreams.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dreams hold deep significance, akin to sacred texts, while some scriptures may be mere reflections of dreams.
Umberto Eco's quote emphasizes the profound relationship between dreams and religious or philosophical texts. It suggests that dreams can convey significant truths and insights, functioning as a guiding force, while it also provokes contemplation about the nature of scriptures, questioning whether they are reflections of human desires and aspirations just as dreams often are.
Themes
DreamsScripturePhilosophyMeaningTruths
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the significance of dreams in literature, one could use this quote to highlight its philosophical depth.
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All quotes →I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early poetry, and bad poets publish it. Thankfully I gave up rather quickly.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
Umberto EcoRead
The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
Umberto EcoRead
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