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
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?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Food can greatly affect people's lives and actions, sometimes in unseen ways.
This quote highlights the profound impact that food has on individuals and society. Lichtenberg suggests that the influence of food, though gradual and less obvious than that of wine, shapes human conditions and decisions. He poses a thought-provoking reflection on how even a simple meal could have significant historical consequences, demonstrating the connection between nourishment and human creativity or conflict.
Themes
FoodInfluenceHuman ConditionHistorySociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of nutrition in society, this quote could emphasize the overlooked impact of food on human behavior.
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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He who says he hates every kind of flattery, and says it in earnest, certainly does not yet know every kind of flattery.
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