Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
A man is not aware of his virtues (if any). Nevertheless, one hopes that they exist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that individuals often lack awareness of their own positive qualities but still hope they possess them.
Edward Abbey's quote reflects a common human predicament: many people are oblivious to their strengths and virtues, yet they still yearn to believe they have redeeming qualities. This notion emphasizes the dichotomy between self-perception and self-worth, suggesting that humility and uncertainty about one's qualities are natural, even as one desires to be seen positively by others.
Themes
VirtuesSelf-AwarenessHumilityHopeSelf-Perception
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about self-acceptance, one might quote this to highlight the importance of recognizing one's virtues.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes →I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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