It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
The mind of the Renaissance was not a pilgrim mind, but a sedentary city mind, like that of the ancients.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the Renaissance intellectuals were rooted in their urban environments, embracing knowledge from the ancients rather than wandering in search of enlightenment.
George Santayana's quote reflects on the nature of the Renaissance thinkers, emphasizing that their intellectual pursuits were grounded in their experiences and surroundings, akin to the ancient philosophers who thrived in urban centers. Unlike pilgrims who seek knowledge through travel and exploration, the Renaissance mind found inspiration and wisdom within the confines of cities and the legacies of those who came before them. This suggests a connection to place and history in shaping thought.
Themes
RenaissanceMindKnowledgeAncientsPhilosophyUrbanIntellectual
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on humanism, I might use this quote to illustrate how Renaissance thinkers were influenced by their urban environment.
More from George Santayana
All quotes βThe working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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