The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed.
Interpretation
The concept of infinity transcends religious beliefs and dogmas.
Joseph Brodsky suggests that the idea of infinity holds a more profound and expansive nature than the limited interpretations imposed by religious doctrines. It insinuates that the poetic and abstract understanding of infinity allows for greater contemplation and reflection than the structured confines of creed-based belief systems.
In practice
This quote could be used in a debate about the role of religion in understanding universal concepts.
Basically, it's hard for me to assess myself, a hardship not only prompted by the immodesty of the enterprise, but because one is not capable of assessing himself, let alone his work. However, if I were to summarize, my main interest is the nature of time. That's what interests me most of all. What time can do to a man.
One always pulls the trigger out of self-interest and quotes history to avoid responsibility or pangs of conscience.
On the whole, infinity is a fairly palpable aspect of this business of publishing, if only because it extends a dead author's existence beyond the limits he envisioned, or provides a living author with a future he cannot measure. In other words, this business deals with the future which we all prefer to regard as unending.
The invention of ethical and political doctrines, which blossomed into our own social sciences, is a product of times when things appeared manageable. The same goes for the criticism of those doctrines, though as a voice from the past, this criticism proved prophetic.
Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those - in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed.
To put it in plain language, Russia is that country where the name of a writer appears not on the cover of his book, but on the door of his prison cell.
Fable is more historical than fact, because fact tells us about one man and fable tells us about a million men.
We have contingency plans for war, but none for peace.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
Don't take anything personally. Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. Their point of view and opinion come from all the programming they received growing up. When you take things personally, you feel offended and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflict. You make something big out of something so little because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong.
There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening.
Anyone who speaks in the name of others is always an impostor.
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