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Men live by intervals of reason under the sovereignty of humor and passion.
Thomas Browne
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Human life is a balance between rational thought and emotional experiences.

This quote by Thomas Browne suggests that while reason is essential for making sense of life, it is humor and passion that truly govern our existence. It highlights the duality of human nature, where logical thinking coexists with emotional depth, emphasizing that both elements are necessary for a fulfilling life.

Themes

ReasonHumorPassionLifeBalance

In practice

Example use cases

A speaker may use this quote to illustrate the complexity of human emotions during a psychology seminar.

More from Thomas Browne

No one should approach the temple of science with the soul of a money changer.
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Content may dwell in all stations. To be low but above contempt may be high enough to be happy.
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Thus there are two books from whence I collect my Divinity; besides that written one of God, another of his servant Nature, that universal and public Manuscript, that lies expans'd unto the eyes of all; those that never saw him in the one, have discovered him in the other.
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To be content with death may be better than to desire it.
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Life itself is but the shadow of death, and souls departed but the shadows of the living.
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The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying.
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