They were beaten to start with. They were beaten when they took them from their farms and put them in the army. That is why the peasant has wisdom, because he is defeated from the start. Put him in power and see how wise he is.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the inherent wisdom that comes from the struggles and defeats in life.
Ernest Hemingway suggests that the experiences of the peasant, who faces defeat from the beginning, lead to a certain depth of wisdom. The hardships endured, particularly when taken from their homes to fight in the army, cultivate an understanding of life that can be insightful and profound. When such a person is put in a position of power, their wisdom, shaped by their suffering, can truly emerge.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the value of experience in leadership.
He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy. He never dreamed about the boy. He simply woke, looked out the open door at the moon and unrolled his trousers and put them on.
How did you go bankrupt?" Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.
When you have shot one bird flying you have shot all birds flying. They are all different and they fly in different ways but the sensation is the same and the last one is as good as the first.
There is never any ending to Paris and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other. We always returned to it no matter who we were or how it was changed or with what difficulties, or ease, it could be reached. Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it. But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.
Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.
There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.
We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.
All you need is already within you, only you must approach your self with reverence and love. Self-condemnation and self-distrust are grievous errors. Your constant flight from pain and search for pleasure is a sign of love you bear for your self, all I plead with you is this: make love of your self perfect. Deny yourself nothing -- glue your self infinity and eternity and discover that you do not need them; you are beyond.
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
In magic, today as always, the effect is what counts. The method or methods used are always purely secondary.
After much seeking for truth and knowledge the profoundness of reality came to me with a clarity never before known.
How Do I Listen to others? As if everyone were my Master Speaking to me His Cherished Last Words.
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