Why did we become blind, I don't know, perhaps one day we'll find out, Do you want me to tell you what I think, Yes, do, I don't think we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind people who can see, but do not see.
With the passage of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of our blood and the salt of our tears.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how our identities are shaped by time, society, and shared experiences, symbolized by blood and tears.
Jose Saramago's quote emphasizes the profound impact of time and social evolution on human consciousness. He suggests that our awareness and understanding of ourselves are intertwined with our shared human experiences, represented metaphorically through the 'color of our blood' and the 'salt of our tears.' This implies that both our biological heritage and the emotional weight of our collective experiences shape who we are, highlighting the interconnectedness of humanity.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about multiculturalism, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of shared human experiences.
More from Jose Saramago
All quotes →I can't imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement. Yes, I'm a writer, but I live in this world, and my writing doesn't exist on a separate level. And if people know who I am and read my books, well, good; that way, if I have something more to say, then everyone benefits.
...you have to leave the island in order to see the island, that we can't see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves, Unless we escape from ourselves you mean, No, that's not the same thing.
Whether we like it or not, the one justification for the existence of all religions is death, they need death as much as we need bread to eat.
En ningún momento de la historia, en ningún lugar del planeta, las religiones han servido para que los seres humanos se acerquen unos a los otros. Por el contrario, sólo han servido para separar, para quemar, para torturar. No creo en dios, no lo necesito y además soy buena persona.
Every second that passes is like a door that opens to allow in what has not yet happened, what we call the future, but, to challenge the contradictory nature of what we have just said, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the future is just an immense void, that the future is just the time on which the eternal present feeds.
Similar quotes
Happily ever after?" "If justice doesn't triumph and love doesn't make the circle in entertainment fiction, what's the point? Real life sucks too often.
Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it.
Lack of power and opportunity passes off too often for virtue.
Forget not, never forget that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man.... Jean Valjean, my brother: you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!
We need language to tell us who we are, how we feel, what we're capable of- to explain the pains and glory of our existence.
The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience.