Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
There has never been an 'original' sin: each is quite banal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that what are often labeled as sins are actually common human behaviors.
Edward Abbey's quote highlights the idea that the concept of 'original sin' might be overstated, as actions deemed sinful are part of the ordinary human experience, lacking any uniqueness or profoundness. By implying that each sin is 'banal,' Abbey invites a re-examination of morality, encouraging an understanding of human flaws as inherent to our nature rather than as exceptional failings.
Themes
SinHuman NatureMoralityPhilosophyOriginal Sin
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy discussion on morality, this quote could be referenced to argue that all humans share flaws.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God's hands and leave it with Him.
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Our job as humans is to make admiration of others and adoration of God fully conscious and deliberate.
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A curious thing about Ugu the Shoemaker was that he didn't suspect in the least that he was wicked. He wanted to be powerful and great, and he hoped to make himself master of all the Land of Oz that he might compel everyone in that fairy country to obey him, His ambition blinded him to the rights of others, and he imagined anyone else would act just as he did if anyone else happened to be as clever as himself.
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