The Greeks possessed a knowledge of human nature we seem hardly able to attain to without passing through the strengthening hibernation of a new barbarism.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
The fly that doesn't want to be swatted is most secure when it lights on the fly-swatter.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Avoidance of danger can sometimes lead to increased risk.
This quote suggests that one may find themselves in a false sense of security by choosing to confront danger or difficult situations, represented by the fly landing on the fly-swatter. It implies that sometimes, what we perceive as safety may actually place us in a more precarious position, highlighting the irony of seeking refuge in danger.
Themes
SecurityRiskDangerIronyWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about taking calculated risks in business, this quote serves to emphasize how avoiding difficult decisions can sometimes lead to worse outcomes.
More from Georg C. Lichtenberg
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The thoughts written on the walls of madhouses by their inmates might be worth publicizing.
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The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it.
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Food probably has a very great influence on the condition of men. Wine exercises a more visible influence, food does it more slowly but perhaps just as surely. Who knows if a well-prepared soup was not responsible for the pneumatic pump or a poor one for a war?
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
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