The hunter for aphorisms on human nature has to fish in muddy water, and he is even condemned to find much of his own mind.
F. H. BradleyRead
One said of suicide, As long as one has brains one should not blow them out. And another answered, But when one has ceased to have them, too often one cannot.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote discusses the paradox of suicide and the state of one's mental faculties when considering it.
F. H. Bradley's quote reflects the complexity surrounding the topic of suicide, suggesting that the act of ending one's life is intrinsically linked to one's mental state. It implies that those contemplating such a choice may not be in a rational frame of mind, thus highlighting the tragic irony that the ability to think through the consequences is often lost when one approaches a state of despair.
Themes
SuicideMental HealthDespairIronyPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a support group discussing mental health, this quote could be used to highlight the need for compassionate intervention.
More from F. H. Bradley
All quotes →Where everything is bad it must be good to know the worst.
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The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.
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True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.
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Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink.
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Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.
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