Playing the game I have learned the meaning of humility. It has given me an understanding of futility of the human effort.
Abba EbanRead
A nation writes its history in the image of its ideal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nations shape their identity and history based on their highest ideals and aspirations.
The quote by Abba Eban emphasizes that the collective history of a nation is not merely a record of events but is deeply influenced by the ideals and values that the nation strives to uphold. The image of its ideal serves as a guiding principle for how history is interpreted and written, reflecting both the nation's ambitions and its moral compass. This assertion suggests that the aspirations of a society play a crucial role in the narrative they create about themselves and their past.
Themes
HistoryIdealsNationIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech discussing national identity and unity.
More from Abba Eban
All quotes βTragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.
Abba EbanRead
Nobody does Israel any service by proclaiming its 'right to exist.' Israel's right to exist, like that of the United States, Saudi Arabia and 152 other states, is axiomatic and unreserved. Israel's legitimacy is not suspended in midair awaiting acknowledgement.... There is certainly no other state, big or small, young or old, that would consider mere recognition of its 'right to exist' a favor, or a negotiable concession.
Abba EbanRead
It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.
Abba EbanRead
A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement.
Abba EbanRead
Consensus is what many people say in chorus but do not believe as individuals.
Abba EbanRead
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Among us, in our part of the country, those who are upright are different from this. The father conceals the misconduct of the son, and the son conceals the misconduct of the father. Uprightness is to be found in this.
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He was a worshiper of liberty, a friend of the oppressed. A thousand times I have heard him quote these words: 'For Justice all place a temple, and all season, summer.' He believed that happiness is the only good, reason the only torch, justice the only worship, humanity the only religion, and love the only priest. He added to the sum of human joy; and were every one to whom he did some loving service to bring a blossom to his grave, he would sleep tonight beneath a wilderness of flowers. . . .
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There is only one solution if old age is not to be an absurd parody of our former life, and that is to go on pursuing ends that give our existence a meaning.
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I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure.
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Man in a word has no nature; what he has... is history.
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Money is a bubble that never pops. It's a consensus hallucination.
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