The function of a book or a poem or a story is to delight, to enchant, to beguile.
Philip PullmanRead
We have to build the Republic of Heaven where we are, because for us there is no elsewhere.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of paradise and fulfillment in our current lives, rather than seeking it elsewhere.
Philip Pullman's quote suggests that we should focus on improving our present circumstances and creating a better world around us. The idea of building the 'Republic of Heaven' implies that happiness and fulfillment are not destinations to be found elsewhere, but rather responsibilities we hold in our current lives and environment. It invites self-reflection and encourages us to take action to create the ideal world we desire right where we are.
Themes
HeavenPresentResponsibilityHappinessCreation
In practice
Example use cases
In a community meeting to inspire local initiatives.
More from Philip Pullman
All quotes βEducation and health were always matters of charity. You educated children and you helped the sick because they were good things to do, not because you were going to make money out of them. If you let the money-making principle, the profit-seeking motive, anywhere near education and health, things go bad.
Philip PullmanRead
To get the best out of life here ...Good grief. There's plenty of it about, so indulge. Give yourself some thing to remember. Fall in love. Fall out of love. Gamble. Get drunk. See how long you can stay awake. Go for long walks at night. Discover what you're afraid of doing, and then do it.
Philip PullmanRead
People should decide on the books' meanings for themselves. They'll find a story that attacks such things as cruelty, oppression, intolerance, unkindness, narrow-mindedness, and celebrates love, kindness, open-mindedness, tolerance, curiosity, human intelligence.
Philip PullmanRead
I told him I was going to betray you, and betray Lyra, and he believed me because I was corrupt and full of wickedness; he looked so deep I felt sure he'd see the truth. But I lied too well. I was lying with every nerve and fiber and everything I'd ever done...I wanted him to find no good in me, and he didn't. There is none.
Philip PullmanRead
Lyra learns to her great cost that fantasy isnβt enough. She has been lying all her life, telling stories to people, making up fantasies, and suddenly she comes to a point where thatβs not enough. All she can do is tell the truth. She tells the truth about her childhood, about the experiences she had in Oxford, and that is what saves her. True experience, not fantasy - reality, not lies - is what saves us in the end.
Philip PullmanRead
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No man dares to condemn the Christian faith today, because the Christian faith has not been tried. Not until men get rid of the thought that it is a poor machine, an expedient for saving them from suffering and pain; not until they get the grand idea of it as the great power of God present in and through the lives of men; not until then does Christianity enter upon its true trial and become ready to show what it can do.
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