We have a memory cut in pieces. And I write trying to recover our real memory, the memory of humankind, what I call the human rainbow, which is much more colorful and beautiful than the other one, the other rainbow.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the fragmented nature of human memory and experiences, suggesting that the true essence of humanity is richer and more diverse than often perceived.
In this quote, Eduardo Galeano emphasizes the complexity and richness of human memory, indicating that our experiences are often incomplete or fragmented. He contrasts the 'human rainbow,' symbolizing the full spectrum of diverse human experiences and emotions, with a more conventional understanding of memory that is less colorful and profound. By striving to recover this vibrant memory, Galeano suggests a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, highlighting the beauty and complexity of our shared existence.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of preserving cultural history, this quote can highlight the value of collective memory.
Utopia is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away. I walk another ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further away. As much as I may walk, I'll never reach it. So what's the point of utopia? The point is this: to keep walking.
It is highly improbable that the bureaucrat will put his life on the line. It is absolutely impossible that he'll put his job on the line.
We live in a world that treats the dead better than the living. We, the living are askers of questions and givers of answers, and we have other grave defects unpardonable by a system that believes death, like money, improves people.
History never really says goodbye. History says, 'See you later.'
The more freedom is extended to business, the more prisons have to be built for those who suffer from that business.
Utopia lies at the horizon. When I draw nearer by two steps, it retreats two steps. If I proceed ten steps forward, it swiftly slips ten steps ahead. No matter how far I go, I can never reach it. What, then, is the purpose of utopia? It is to cause us to advance.
Virtue is more clearly shown in the performance of fine ACTIONS than in the non-performance of base ones.
Human beings can be beautiful. If they are not beautiful it is entirely their own fault. It is what they do to themselves that makes them ugly. The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it.
I was brought up to appreciate the here and now, and, knowing this is your only life, to view death as an inevitable and reassuring end.
The world is a demon. It is a kingdom of which the puny ego is king. Put it away and stand firm.
The autobiographical self has prompted extended memory, reasoning, imagination, creativity and language. And out of that came the instruments of culture - religions, justice, trade, the arts, science, technology.
Men, however distinguished by external accidents or intrinsick qualities, have all the same wants, the same pains, and, as far as the senses are consulted, the same pleasures.
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