Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
Henry MillerRead
The new always carries with it the sense of violation, of sacrilege. What is dead is sacred; what is new, that is different, is evil, dangerous, or subversive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that new ideas and changes often face resistance because they challenge the status quo and what is traditionally accepted as sacred.
Henry Miller's quote highlights the tension between the old and the new in society. It suggests that innovations or changes are often met with suspicion or hostility because they disrupt established norms and beliefs, which many hold sacred. This resistance to change can stem from a fear of the unknown, implying that the familiar is often perceived as safe while the new is seen as threatening or immoral. Thus, this quote reflects the inherent challenges of progress and the discomfort that often accompanies transformation.
Themes
ChangeInnovationResistanceTraditionProgress
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing new technology in education.
More from Henry Miller
All quotes βI saw through to the last sign and symbol, but I could not read her face. I could see only the eyes shining through, huge, fleshy-like luminous beasts, as though I were swimming behind them in the electric effluvia of her incandescent vision.
Henry MillerRead
The essential thing is to WANT to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Henry MillerRead
Great God! What have I turned into? What right have you people to clutter up my life, steal my time, probe my soul, suckle my thoughts, have me for your companion, confidant, and information bureau? What do you take me for? Am I an entertainer on salary, required every evening to play an intellectual farce under your stupid noses? Am I a slave, bought and paid for, to crawl on my belly in front of you idlers and lay at your feet all that I do and all that I know?
Henry MillerRead
We are swimming on the face of time and all else has drowned, is drowning, or will drown.
Henry MillerRead
To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Henry MillerRead
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