Civilization is first of all a moral thing. Without truth, respect for duty, love of neighbor, and virtue, everything is destroyed. The morality of a society is alone the basis of civilization.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
Man never knows what he wants; he aspires to penetrate mysteries and as soon as he has, wants to re-establish them. Ignorance irritates him and knowledge cloys.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans have an insatiable curiosity that leads them to seek knowledge, yet they often find that knowledge can be overwhelming.
This quote by Henri Frederic Amiel reflects the paradox of human desire for understanding and the simultaneous discomfort that comes with gaining it. While people strive for knowledge and the resolution of mysteries, once attained, this knowledge can feel burdensome or unsatisfying, leading individuals to crave the uncertainty and mystery that once existed. This highlights the complex relationship between ignorance and knowledge, suggesting that both are integral to the human experience.
Themes
KnowledgeIgnoranceCuriosityMysteryHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing the complexities of human desire and knowledge.
More from Henri Frederic Amiel
All quotes βTruth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
True love is that which ennobles the personality, fortifies the heart, and sanctifies the existence.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
It is by teaching that we teach ourselves, by relating that we observe, by affirming that we examine, by showing that we look, by writing that we think, by pumping that we draw water into the well.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
A man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untied; he must know how to disengage what is essential from the detail in which it is enwrapped, for everything cannot be equally considered; in a word, he must be able to simplify his duties, his business and his life.
Henri Frederic AmielRead
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