Every island to a child is a treasure island.
P. D. JamesRead
It was reasonable to struggle, to suffer, perhaps even to die, for a more just, a more compassionate society, but not in a world with no future where, all to soon, the very words "justice," "compassion," "society," "struggle," "evil," would be unheard echoes on an empty air.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote underscores the importance of fighting for justice in a society that has a future, emphasizing that suffering is worthwhile only if it leads to positive change.
P. D. James reflects on the moral imperative to strive for a just and compassionate society, suggesting that while struggle and sacrifice are often necessary, they lose their value in a world that lacks hope for a better future. The quote serves as a warning against despair, illustrating that the concepts of justice and compassion are meaningless in a void, where they are no longer recognized or valued.
Themes
JusticeCompassionSocietyFutureStruggleEvilHope
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for social change, this quote can motivate individuals to take action for a better future.
More from P. D. James
All quotes →If from infancy you treat children as gods, they are liable in adulthood to act as devils.
P. D. JamesRead
I believe that political correctness can be a form of linguistic fascism, and it sends shivers down the spine of my generation who went to war against fascism.
P. D. JamesRead
What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give.
P. D. JamesRead
Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer – however happy, however tragic – is ever wasted.
P. D. JamesRead
It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.
P. D. JamesRead
Similar quotes
Fear of the future is worse than one's present fortune.
QuintilianRead
In so far as men are influenced by envy or any kind of hatred, one towards another, they are at variance, and are therefore to be feared in proportion, as they are more powerful than their fellows._x000D_ _x000D_ Yet minds are not conquered by force, but by love and high-mindedness.
Baruch SpinozaRead
He was talking about the sign that said 'THE COMPLICATED FUTILITY OF IGNORANCE.' 'All knew was that I didn't want my daughter or anybody's child to see a message that negative every time she comes into the library,' he said. 'And then I found out it was you who was responsible for it.' 'What's so negative about it?' I said. 'What could be a more negative word than "futility"?' he said. '"Ignorance,"' I said.
Kurt VonnegutRead
I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death.
Francis BaconRead
I ask the fundamental question of rationality: Why do you believe what you believe? What do you think you know and how do you think you know it?
Eliezer YudkowskyRead
Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.
Henry Ward BeecherRead