Nothing human is finally calculable; even to ourselves we are strange.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that human nature is complex and unpredictable, even to ourselves.
Gore Vidal's quote highlights the inherent unpredictability of human behavior and the complexities of self-knowledge. It implies that despite our attempts to understand and quantify human actions and motivations, there remains an element of strangeness that defies calculation, underscoring the intricacies of individuality and the mysterious aspects of our own identities that we may never fully comprehend.
In practice
In a philosophy class discussing the nature of humanity, this quote can be used to illustrate the complexities of self-perception.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
If the spiritual universe and the way to it were shown, No one would remain in this world for a single moment.
We worry a great deal about the problem of church and state. Now what about the church and God? Sometimes there seems to be a greater separation between the church and God than between the church and state.
It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed.
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
If we go on to cast a look at the fate of these World-Historical persons, whose vocation it was to be the agents of the World-Spirit, we shall find it to have been no happy one. They attained no calm enjoyment; their whole life was labour and trouble; their whole nature was nought else but their master—passion. When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. They die early, like Alexander; they are murdered, like Caesar.
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