Where everything is bad it must be good to know the worst.
F. H. BradleyRead
The hunter for aphorisms on human nature has to fish in muddy water, and he is even condemned to find much of his own mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding human nature requires delving into complex and unclear aspects of existence.
F. H. Bradley's quote suggests that exploring human nature and trying to articulate profound truths is a challenging endeavor, often muddied by personal biases and subjective opinions. The act of seeking wisdom about humanity is akin to fishing in murky waters, where clarity is hard to find, and one may frequently encounter reflections of their own thoughts rather than objective truths.
Themes
Human NatureAphorismsWisdomPhilosophySubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the complexities of understanding why people act the way they do.
More from F. H. Bradley
All quotes βThe secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.
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True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.
F. H. BradleyRead
Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink.
F. H. BradleyRead
Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.
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One said of suicide, As long as one has brains one should not blow them out. And another answered, But when one has ceased to have them, too often one cannot.
F. H. BradleyRead
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It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement -- that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.
Sigmund FreudRead
I say the same of humility and of all the virtues; the wiles of the devil are terrible, he will run a thousand times round hell if by so doing he can make us believe that we have a single virtue which we have not. And he is right, for such ideas are very harmful, and such imaginary virtues, when they come from this source, are never unaccompanied by vainglory; just as those which God gives are free both from this and from pride.
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Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum -- "I think that I think, therefore I think that I am;" as close an approach to certainty as any philosopher has yet made.
Ambrose BierceRead
So one time when I was working in this motel one of the toilets leaked and I had to replace the flapper ball. Here's what it said on the package; I kept it till I knew it by heart: 'Please Note. Parts are included for all installations, but no installation requires all of the parts.' That's kind of my philosophy about men. I don't think there's an installation out there that could use all my parts.
Barbara KingsolverRead
Introspection and preserved writings give us far more insight into the ways of past humans than we have into the ways of past dinosaurs. For that reason, I'm optimistic that we can eventually arrive at convincing explanations for these broadest patterns of human history.
Jared DiamondRead
Religious unity can look like a carnival and religious liberty can look like a funeral.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead