Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their earthly pedestals.
Agnes RepplierRead
People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization.
Interpretation
Recognizing absurdities is crucial for progress in society.
Agnes Repplier's quote highlights the importance of acknowledging absurdities in life for the betterment of civilization. Those who fail to see the ridiculousness in certain situations or beliefs can hinder societal growth and critical thinking, suggesting that a confrontation with absurdity can lead to a more enlightened and progressive society.
In practice
In a speech about social change, quoting Repplier can emphasize the need for awareness of absurdities in outdated systems.
Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their earthly pedestals.
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
Who that has plodded on to middle age would take back upon his shoulders ten of the vanished years, with their mingled pleasures and pains? Who would return to the youth he is forever pretending to regret?
Problems only exist in the human mind.
There are two sorts of truth: trivialities, where opposites are clearly absurd, and profound truths, recognised by the fact that the opposite is also a profound truth
The most depraved type of human being ... (is) the man without a purpose.
All life is a manifestation of the spirit, the manifestation of love.
Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. To be more safe, [nations] at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.
How we experience memory sometimes, it's not linear. We're not telling the stories to ourselves. We know the story; we're just seeing it in flashes overlaid.
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