I learned: the first lesson of my life: nobody can face the world with his eyes open all the time.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the importance of accepting that one cannot always be fully aware or vigilant in life.
In this quote, Salman Rushdie reflects on the human experience and the limitations inherent in facing reality. He suggests that being constantly alert and aware is not feasible, implying that there are moments when one must let go, close their eyes, or disengage from the harsh realities of life. This serves as a reminder to find balance between awareness and acceptance, as well as to acknowledge the necessity of rest and introspection.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about personal growth and resilience.
I've been fascinated by Machiavelli since I was very young. I've always felt that he had a bad rap from history, and that he was actually a person quite unlike what we now think of as Machiavellian. He was a republican. He disliked totalitarian government.
Killing people because you don't like their ideas - it's a bad thing.
faith without doubt is addiction
I am clearly vulnerable to these more passionate and volatile unstable relationships. I am trying to not be so vulnerable.
In India, as elsewhere in our darkening world, religion is the poison in the blood. Where religion intervenes, mere innocence is no excuse. Yet we go on skating around this issue, speaking of religion in the fashionable language of 'respect.' What is there to respect in any of this, or in any of the crimes now being committed almost daily around the world in religion's dreaded name?
Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems - but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems more and more incredible.
When trying to remember my share in the glow of the eternal present, in the smile of God, I return to my childhood, too, for that is where the most significant discoveries turn up.
One bad review doesn't ruin my day because I realize what a badge of honor it is to get a bit of criticism at all.
When we have arrived at the question, the answer is already near.
The idea that to make a man work you've got to hold gold in front of his eyes is a growth, not an axiom. We've done that for so long that we've forgotten there's any other way.
I used to have a real problem with self-pity. Every time the devil would throw a pity party, I would attend.
I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well. I only wish my words could just convince myself that it just wasn't real. But that's not the way it feels.
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