When they are preparing for war, those who rule by force speak most copiously about peace until they have completed the mobilization process.
Stefan ZweigRead
All my life I have been passionately interested in monomaniacs of any kind, people carried away by a single idea. The more one limits oneself, the closer one is to the infinite; these people, as unworldly as they seem, burrow like termites into their own particular material to construct, in miniature, a strange and utterly individual image of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focusing deeply on one idea can lead to profound insights and a unique understanding of the world.
In this quote, Stefan Zweig reflects on the power of monomania, or intense focus on a single idea. He suggests that such individuals, despite appearing eccentric or disconnected from reality, delve deeply into their passions, creating unique perspectives that offer valuable interpretations of existence. This intense concentration allows them to construct a deeply personal and imaginative view of the world that is often richer than the typical, more generalized perspectives held by others.
Themes
MonomaniaFocusIndividualityPerspectivePassion
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about finding one's passion, one could use this quote to illustrate the value of deep focus.
More from Stefan Zweig
All quotes βOnly ambition is fired by the coincidences of success and easy accomplishment but nothing is quite as splendidly uplifting to the heart as the defeat of a human being who battles against the invincible superiority of fate. This is always the most grandiose of all tragedies, one sometimes created by a dramatist but created thousands of times by life.
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Now I am discovering the world once more. England has widened my horizon.
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In history, the moments during which reason and reconciliation prevail are short and fleeting.
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Only the person who has experienced light and darkness, war and peace, rise and fall, only that person has truly experienced life.
Stefan ZweigRead
Memory is so corrupt that you remember only what you want to; if you want to forget about something, slowly but surely you do.
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