Your cravings as a human animal do not become a prayer just because it is God whom you ask to attend to them.
Dag HammarskjoldRead
It is more noble to give yourself completely to one individual than to labor diligently for the salvation of the masses.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prioritizing deep personal connections is more admirable than working for a larger cause.
This quote suggests that investing oneself wholly in a single relationship or individual is a more honorable pursuit than merely working hard for the benefit of a large group. It emphasizes the value of personal relationships over broader societal contributions, highlighting the depth of commitment and emotional investment that can be offered to one person.
Themes
NobilitySelflessnessIndividualLoveCommitment
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding speech to emphasize the importance of personal relationships.
More from Dag Hammarskjold
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Do not seek death. Death will find you. But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment.
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The world cannot live at peace without the United Nations. For this reason: it creates a reasonable guarantee that all this change in the world, these tremendous political and economic developments, can be channelized, kept orderly. The United Nations is a mold that keeps the hot metal from spilling over.
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In a dream I walked with God through the deep places of creation; past walls that receded and gates that opened through hall after hall of silence, darkness and refreshment--the dwelling place of souls acquainted with light and warmth--until, around me, was an infinity into which we all flowed together and lived anew, like the rings made by raindrops falling upon wide expanses of calm dark waters.
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He is one of those who has had the wilderness for a pillow, and called a star his brother. Alone. But loneliness can be a communion.
Dag HammarskjoldRead
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