Envy, propelled by fear, can be even more toxic than anger, because it involves the thought that other people enjoy the good things of life which the envier can't hope to attain through hard work and emulation.
Martha NussbaumRead
The imagination is an innate gift, but it needs refinement and cultivation; this is what the humanities provide.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Imagination is a natural ability that requires development, which is fostered by the humanities.
This quote emphasizes that while imagination is a natural human trait, it is not enough on its own; it must be nurtured and refined through education and the study of the humanities. The humanities—encompassing literature, philosophy, arts, and history—play a crucial role in developing our imaginative capacities, enabling us to think critically and creatively about the world around us.
Themes
ImaginationHumanitiesEducationCreativityCultivation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of arts education, one might quote this to highlight the role of imagination.
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Often, we feel helpless in lots of situations in our lives. The way anger gets a grip on us is it seems to be a way to extricate ourselves from helplessness.
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Courses in the humanities, in particular, often seem impractical, but they are vital, because they stretch your imagination and challenge your mind to become more responsive, more critical, bigger.
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I find so often, you know, just on a very mundane level; you've got a meeting and your child's acting in a school play. You can't do both things. And it's not simply that you can't do both, but whatever you do, you're going to be neglecting something that's really important.
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Look at the great tradition of Western political philosophy. Those people were all immersed in revolutionary movements. Most weren't career academics - often, they were too radical to be accepted in the academy. Rousseau's books were banned. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill couldn't hold academic positions because they were atheists.
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A universityeducates the intellect to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and to grasp it.
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