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I perceive a necessary gap between seeing and being. I would not be able to have said certain things if I had been under the obligation to unify the word and the deed. As it is I can let my words reach out and net impossible things - things that are impossible for me to do. And this is a way to pay the price for saying or seeing things.
Norman O. Brown
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the distinction between thought and action, suggesting that one can envision possibilities beyond their current capabilities.

Norman O. Brown discusses the inherent separation between what we perceive and what we are able to accomplish in life. He argues that the ability to express ideas freely, even those beyond our grasp, allows for a richer imagination and a broader understanding of potential realities. This 'gap' permits us to explore thoughts and concepts that may never translate into action, thus enabling a creative freedom in our expressions that can inspire change or provoke thought.

Themes

PerceptionActionImaginationExpressionPossibilities

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about creativity, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of envisioning new ideas.

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Mankind today is still making history without having any conscious idea of what it really wants or under what conditions it would stop being unhappy; in fact what it is doing seems to be making itself more unhappy and calling that unhappiness progress.
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