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The grandeur of Jerusalem is also... its problem.
Umberto Eco
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Jerusalem's greatness is intertwined with its complexities and challenges.

Umberto Eco suggests that the magnificence of Jerusalem is not only a source of pride but also a cause of various issues and conflicts. This duality reflects the complexity of human experiences where greatness often comes hand-in-hand with significant challenges, illustrating the intricate relationship between beauty and adversity.

Themes

JerusalemGrandeurProblemsComplexityBeauty

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on the complexities of historical cities, one might say, 'As Umberto Eco noted, the grandeur of Jerusalem is also its problem.'

More from Umberto Eco

The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
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I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early poetry, and bad poets publish it. Thankfully I gave up rather quickly.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
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The lunatic is all idΓ©e fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
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