Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
Paul TillichRead
Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the contrasting emotions associated with being alone, distinguishing between loneliness and solitude.
Paul Tillich emphasizes the dual nature of being alone through language, suggesting that while 'loneliness' conveys a sense of pain and isolation, 'solitude' reflects a deeper appreciation for the self and personal space. This differentiation encourages a nuanced understanding of solitude as a potentially positive experience rather than merely a negative one.
Themes
LonelinessSolitudeLanguagePainGlory
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, I might use this quote to illustrate the complexity of being alone.
More from Paul Tillich
All quotes βCruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
Paul TillichRead
He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
Paul TillichRead
The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
Paul TillichRead
The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
Paul TillichRead
Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
Paul TillichRead
Similar quotes
Let us be honest with each other. The threat to marriage is not the gays. It is a lack of loving commitment - whether it is found in the form of neglect, indifference, cruelty or adultery, to name just a few manifestations of the loveless desert in which too many marriages come to grief.
Malcolm TurnbullRead
We all leave one another. We die, we change - it's mostly change - we outgrow our best friends; but even if I do leave you, I will have passed on to you something of myself; you will be a different person because of knowing me; it's inescapable.
Edna O'BrienRead
Your choice of people to associate with, both personally and business-wise, is one of the most important choices you make. If you associate with turkeys, you will never fly with the eagles.
Brian TracyRead
Once a woman is made man's equal, she becomes his superior.
Margaret ThatcherRead
It's no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently or if your favorite films wouldn't even speak to each other if they met at a party.
Nick HornbyRead
Men have always been gentlemen to me - responsible people with healthy attitudes.
Aretha FranklinRead