Associate with the noblest people you can find; read the best books; live with the mighty; but learn to be happy alone.
Saul BellowRead
In here, the human bosom -- mine, yours, everybody's -- there isn't just one soul. There's a lot of souls. But there are two main ones, the real soul and a pretender soul. Now! Every man realizes that he has to love something or somebody. He feels that he must go outward. 'If thou canst not love, what art thou?' Are you with me?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that within every individual there are multiple facets of identity, emphasizing the importance of love as a fundamental human experience.
In this quote, Saul Bellow explores the complexity of human identity, indicating that each person harbors many inner selves, including a 'real' self and a 'pretender' self. He stresses the necessity of love in human life, proposing that love is what gives purpose to our existence. The rhetorical question, 'If thou canst not love, what art thou?' invites us to reflect on our humanity and the crucial role love plays in defining who we are.
Themes
LoveIdentityHumanitySoulPurpose
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and relationships.
More from Saul Bellow
All quotes →When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.
Saul BellowRead
I've discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.'
Saul BellowRead
I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the "warehouse of good intentions": "Can't do it now." "Then put it on hold." This is one's strategy for coping with old age, and with death--because one can't die with so many obligations in storage. Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.
Saul BellowRead
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.
Saul BellowRead
Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love.
Saul BellowRead
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