In apartments and cottages, on the street and in the train... I listen... More and more, I turn into one large ear, always turning to another person.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
All of history misses out on the history of the soul. Human passions are so often not included in history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights that traditional history often neglects the emotional and spiritual aspects of human experience.
Svetlana Alexievich suggests that while history typically focuses on events, dates, and facts, it frequently overlooks the profound inner lives of individuals and the passions that drive human actions. This oversight diminishes our understanding of what it means to be human, as the emotional and spiritual narratives play a crucial role in shaping history alongside the tangible events recorded.
Themes
HistorySoulHuman PassionsEmotionsSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of understanding emotional narratives in education, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for a more holistic view of history.
More from Svetlana Alexievich
All quotes βThe subjects I wanted to write about - the mystery of the human soul, evil - didn't interest newspapers, and news reporting bored me.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
'Women's' war has its own colors, its own smells, its own lighting, and its own range of feelings. There are no heroes and incredible feats; there are simply people who are busy doing inhumanly human things.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
There is no need to give in to the compromise that totalitarian regimes always count on.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
I've been searching for a genre that would be most adequate to my vision of the world to convey how my ear hears and my eyes see life. I tried this and that, and finally, I chose a genre where human voices speak for themselves. But I don't just record a dry history of events and facts; I'm writing a history of human feelings.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
From the point of view of art, the butcher and the victim are equal as people. You need to see the people.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
Similar quotes
A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.
Milan KunderaRead
You want the good life? You live where white people live, you go to school where white people go to school, and you shop where white people shop.
Sherman AlexieRead
Every person you meet is waging his or her own war against a callous universe that is plotting against them.
Sherrilyn KenyonRead
Every one should find some suitable time, day or night, to sink into his depths, each according to his own fashion. Not every one is able to engage in contemplative prayer.
Johannes TaulerRead
Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
Octavia ButlerRead
The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being
Dalai LamaRead