The whole life lies in the verb seeing.
Pierre Teilhard De ChardinRead
So many things which once had distressed or revolted him — the speeches and pronouncements of the learned, their assertions and their prohibitions, their refusal to allow the universe to move — all seemed to him now merely ridiculous, non-existent, compared with the majestic reality, the flood of energy, which now revealed itself to him: omnipresent, unalterable in its truth, relentless in its development, untouchable in its serenity, maternal and unfailing in its protectiveness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a shift in perspective from the trivial concerns of human assertions to the profound and unchangeable truths of the universe.
In this quote, Pierre Teilhard De Chardin expresses a transformative realization where he sees past the distractions and limitations posed by learned discussions and judgments. He emphasizes the overwhelming beauty and certainty of the universe's energy and truth, suggesting that true understanding lies beyond human constraints. The portrayal of the universe as protective and nurturing signifies a deep connection to a larger, benevolent reality that supersedes intellectual debates.
Themes
UniverseTruthRealityEnergyPhilosophyPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussion about the nature of reality.
More from Pierre Teilhard De Chardin
All quotes →Religion and science are the two conjugated faces or phases of one and the same complete act of knowledge - the only one which can embrace the past and future of evolution and so contemplate, measure and fulfil them.
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The mineral world is a much more supple and mobile world than could be imagined by the science of the ancients. Vaguely analogous to the metamorphoses of living creatures, there occurs in the most solid rocks, as we now know, perpetual transformation of a mineral species.
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We may, perhaps, imagine that the creation was finished long ago. But that would be quite wrong. It continues still more magnificently, and at the highest levels of the world.
Pierre Teilhard De ChardinRead
Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our ability to love developing until it embraces the totality of men and the earth.
Pierre Teilhard De ChardinRead
If there is one thing I fear less than everything else, it is, I believe, persecution for my opinions. There are a good many points about which I may be diffident, but when it comes to questions of Truth and intellectual independence, there is no holding me - I can envisage no finer end than to sacrifice oneself for a conviction.
Pierre Teilhard De ChardinRead
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