We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity in a person's identity and interactions with others.
In this quote, Sydney J. Harris explores the concept of authenticity, suggesting that individuals face a critical choice between being true to themselves or adopting superficial roles defined by societal expectations. He highlights the idea that children naturally perceive authenticity, which underscores that genuine connections can only be made between true selves, allowing for meaningful interactions and deeper understanding between people.
Themes
AuthenticityIdentitySelfGenuineExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about self-acceptance and authenticity.
More from Sydney J. Harris
All quotes →The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes them a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
Man's unique agony as a species consists in his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a realist he is preparing to do something that he is secretly ashamed of doing.
Sydney J. HarrisRead
Similar quotes
The problem with airports is that we go there when we need to catch a plane - and because it's so difficult to find the way to the gate, we tend not to look around at our surroundings.
Alain De BottonRead
There's a long tradition of black folks pleading with white people. It's a tradition that emerges from political necessity, so I get it; I'm just not very interested in it.
Ta-Nehisi CoatesRead
Normal consciousness is a state of stupor, in which the sensibility to the wholly real and responsiveness to the stimuli of the spirit are reduced. The mystics, knowing that man is involved in a hidden history of the cosmos, endeavor to awake from the drowsiness and apathy and to regain the state of wakefulness for their enchanted souls.
Abraham Joshua HeschelRead
Religion can emerge in all forms of feeling: here wild anger, there the sweetest pain; here consuming hatred, there the childlike smile of serene humility.
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich SchlegelRead
O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.
Leo RostenRead
There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge.
Hunter S. ThompsonRead