In a dying civilization, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest diagnostician, but of the man with the best bedside manner.
Eric AmblerRead
Good' did not triumph. 'Evil' did not triumph. The two resolved, destroyed each other and created new 'evils', new 'goods' which slew each other in their turn.
Interpretation
The conflict between good and evil is cyclical, leading to the emergence of new forms of both.
This quote by Eric Ambler suggests that the struggle between good and evil is not a straightforward victory for one over the other. Instead, their constant clash leads to the birth of new forms of good and evil, creating a cycle where each gives rise to the other, implying that moral struggles are complex and ongoing rather than definitive or final.
In practice
During a debate on moral philosophy, one could use this quote to illustrate the complexities of good and evil.
In a dying civilization, political prestige is the reward not of the shrewdest diagnostician, but of the man with the best bedside manner.
Countless people pray far more than they know. Often they have such a "stained-glass" image of prayer that they fail to recognize what they are experiencing as prayer and so condemn themselves for not praying.
My mother always used to say, 'Well, if you had been born a little girl growing up in Egypt, you would go to church or go to worship Allah, but surely if those people are worshipping a God, it must be the same God' - that's what she always said. The same God with different names.
The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.
Yesterday's rose endures in its name, we hold empty names.
You cannot slander human nature; it is worse than words can paint it.
In a society where the rights and potential of women are constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but he will not have freedom.
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