There are no elements so diverse that they cannot be joined in the heart of a man.
Jean GiraudouxRead
Everyone, when there's war in the air, learns to live in a new element: falsehood.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that during turbulent times, people adapt by accepting dishonesty as a normal part of life.
Jean Giraudoux's quote reflects the notion that in times of conflict or war, individuals often become accustomed to falsehoods as a means of survival. The chaos and uncertainty prevailing in such situations can lead to a shift in values, where honesty may be compromised. People might find themselves navigating through a landscape filled with lies, adapting to this new reality as a defense mechanism against the harshness of their environment.
Themes
WarFalsehoodAdaptationSurvivalTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of war on societies, this quote can illustrate how truth is often distorted during conflicts.
More from Jean Giraudoux
All quotes βWhen a grown man reaches forty, we change him for an old one. He has completely disappeared. There's only the most superficial resemblance between the two of them. Nothing is handed on from one to the other.
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A stock certificate is not a tool, like a shovel, or a commodity, like a pound of cheese. What we sell a customer is not a share in a business, but a view of the Elysian Fields. A financier is a creative artist. Our function is to stimulate the imagination. We are poets!
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It's odd how people waiting for you stand out far less clearly than people you are waiting for.
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It would be better if only the old men fought the wars. Every country is the country of youth. When its youth dies, it dies with them.
Jean GiraudouxRead
A man has only one way of being immortal on earth: he has to forget he is a mortal.
Jean GiraudouxRead
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