By all measures men are the more violent gender.
Steven PinkerRead
You get a little picture that reflects the whole. You can get readers interested in the life of one guy, and he can reflect the whole life around him. And it's a better picture than the politicians give you.
Interpretation
Personal stories can encapsulate larger truths about society, often providing more insight than political narratives.
In this quote, Jimmy Breslin conveys the idea that individual experiences and stories can serve as powerful mirrors of broader societal issues. He suggests that through the life of one person, a reader can gain a nuanced understanding of the larger human experience and societal context, and that these personal narratives often resonate more deeply than the simplified or politicized views provided by politicians.
In practice
In a speech about the power of journalism, one might quote Breslin to highlight the importance of individual narratives.
By all measures men are the more violent gender.
This is what language does: organize the world into manageable, and in some sense artificial, units that can then be inhabited and manipulated.
The twin conceptions of sin and vindictive punishment seem to be at the root of much that is most vigorous, both in religion and politics.
But the present world is also designed for something which has not yet happened. It is like a violin waiting to be played: beautiful to look at, graceful to hold - and yet if you'd never heard one in the hands of a musician, you wouldn't believe the new dimensions of beauty yet to be revealed.
The problem with introspection is that it has no end.
Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not a single, unifying, objective truth. We're all limited by our perspective.
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