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Urging humans to be superhumans, on pain of death and torture, is the urging of terrible self-abasement at their repeated and inevitable failure to keep the rules.
Christopher Hitchens
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote critiques the unrealistic expectations placed on humans to achieve superhuman standards, highlighting the consequences of failure.

Christopher Hitchens addresses the flawed notion that humans should be held to impossible standards of perfection. He emphasizes that forcing individuals to strive for such unattainable goals leads to feelings of inadequacy and self-abasement, especially when they inevitably fall short of these expectations. Hitchens suggests that instead of promoting superhuman ideals through harsh consequences, society should recognize and accept human limitations.

Themes

ExpectationsHuman NaturePerfectionSelf-AbasementLimitations

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about societal pressures, this quote can highlight the dangers of setting unrealistic standards.

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