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Thought must be divided against itself before it can come to any knowledge of itself.
Aldous Huxley
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Self-awareness requires inner conflict and examination of one's own thoughts.

Aldous Huxley's quote suggests that in order to achieve true understanding of our thoughts and consciousness, we must first engage in a critical examination that may involve conflicting ideas and perspectives. This process of dividing thought allows for deeper insights and the potential for self-knowledge, as it forces us to confront contradictions and complexities within ourselves.

Themes

Self-AwarenessThoughtKnowledgeInner ConflictSelf-Examination

In practice

Example use cases

During a philosophy class discussion on the nature of self-awareness.

More from Aldous Huxley

To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
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Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
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In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
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On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
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No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
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The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
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