The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
Umberto EcoRead
The older I grow and the more I abandon myself to God's will, the less I value intelligence that wants to know and will that wants to do; and as the only element of salvation I recognize faith, which can wait patiently, without asking too many questions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of faith over intellect and action as one grows older.
Umberto Eco reflects on the transition from valuing intellect and will to embracing faith as one ages. He suggests that true salvation lies in the ability to accept God's will with patience and without the need for constant questioning, highlighting a shift from a knowledge-driven existence to one rooted in faith.
Themes
FaithIntellectPatienceSalvationGod'S Will
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the value of faith over reason, one might reference this quote to inspire the congregation.
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All quotes →I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early poetry, and bad poets publish it. Thankfully I gave up rather quickly.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
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The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
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