We may lose our memory as we get older, but this might not be such a bad thing - who wants to drag a mental junkyard around at a time of life when you're starting to grow interesting little wings?
Michael LeunigRead
So few humans seem to fully exist themselves that I wonder if all this endless speculation and haggling about God is really an exploration of a more interesting and embarrassing question about ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that our discussions about God may actually reflect our own struggles with self-identity and existence.
Michael Leunig reflects on the tendency of humans to engage in extensive debates about the concept of God while questioning whether this obsession is, in fact, a diversion from the more profound and uncomfortable exploration of our own existence and self-awareness. In essence, he posits that our uncertainty about God might stem from our own failures to truly understand ourselves.
Themes
ExistenceSelf-AwarenessIdentityPhilosophyGod
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a philosophical discussion about the nature of belief and self-identity.
More from Michael Leunig
All quotes →Sometimes I wonder if the semi-conscious agenda of the media is to get between people and their souls. It is the the soul with its myriad tiny nerve endings that notices the neglected pathos, poignancy and practicality that lies at the heart of life. It's as if the media are somehow irritated and envious that anonymous people should have the quiet brilliance of their rich and sustainable inner lives.
Michael LeunigRead
Perhaps life is actually more confusing and unknowable to an adult than a child, but grown-ups have learned to deceive themselves and act as if they understand what's going on; and some are elected to high office on the basis of their ability to create this impression.
Michael LeunigRead
What a magical thing is the bed, and what a vulnerable, innocent creature is the sleeping human - the human who never looks more truthful or pitiful or benign; the curled-up, childlike dreaming soul who has for a few hours become an angel adrift.
Michael LeunigRead
Similar quotes
For ages this idea has been proclaimed in the consummately wise teachings of religion, probably not alone as a means of insuring peace and harmony among men, but as a deeply founded truth. The Buddhist expresses it in one way, the Christian in another, but both say the same: We are all one.
Nikola TeslaRead
Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.
Thomas JeffersonRead
This is the Great Theatre of Life. Admission is free, but the taxation is mortal. You come when you can, and leave when you must. The show is continuous. Goodnight.
Robertson DaviesRead
Truly generous men are always ready to become sympathetic when their enemy’s misfortune surpasses the limits of their hatred.
Alexandre DumasRead
He was a wise man who originated the idea of God.
EuripidesRead
Language also encodes our past. We want to know who we are. To know who we are, we have to know who we used to be. Consequently, our literature, written in the past, anchors us in that past.
Andrzej WajdaRead