Do not underestimate the human being, who sometimes appears so simple. Even with sight as sharp as an eagle, a mind as sharp as a razor, senses more powerful than gods, hearing that can catch the music and the lamentations of life, your knowledge of humanity will never be total.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the complexity of human beings and suggests that true understanding of humanity is elusive.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer's quote highlights the intricacies of human nature and cautions against underestimating people based on their superficial appearances. Despite having remarkable abilities and sharp perceptions, one cannot claim to fully comprehend the depths of humanity, as each individual carries their own stories, emotions, and complexities that go beyond mere observation.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the nature of empathy and understanding in psychology classes.
I will not close my eyes, neither those in my head nor those in my soul, as the ship carries me away, along with my future, my dreams, and my beliefs. Buru Island is no happy land somewhere; it's but a way station on my journey in life—though to believe even that much will require no small measure of hope.
Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.
Self-denial is the test and definition of self-government.
Tell troth and shame the devil.
I feel within me a peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience.
The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something. The strongest, by dispensing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything. The drop, by continually falling, bores its passage through the hardest rock. The hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar, and leaves no trace behind.
Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.
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