Be yourself on stage. Nobody else can be you and you have the law of supply and demand covered.
This is where we are at right now, as a whole. No one is left out of the loop. We are experiencing a reality based on a thin veneer of lies and illusions. A world where greed is our God and wisdom is sin, where division is key and unity is fantasy, where the ego-driven cleverness of the mind is praised, rather than the intelligence of the heart.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques modern society's focus on materialism and ego, suggesting that true wisdom and unity are lacking.
In this quote, Bill Hicks reflects on the current state of society, highlighting how superficial values and deceit have taken precedence over genuine wisdom and connection. He paints a picture of a world where greed dominates, division is rampant, and the superficial intelligence of the mind is idolized, overshadowing the deeper emotional intelligence that comes from the heart. Hicks calls for a recognition of these issues and a shift away from ego-driven pursuits towards a more heartfelt understanding of reality.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about social justice, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for honesty and unity in fighting inequality.
More from Bill Hicks
All quotes →I'm not into those kind of rivalries. I remember standing out in front of Stratford, minding my own business. Carload of about eighty kids would pull up: 'STRATFORD SUCKS!' Am I supposed to run after these guys? I'd just stand there, you know. They'd back up. 'STRATFORD SUCKS! ...STRATFORD SUCKS!' I'd say, 'I know. I go there. You're wasting gas, man.
I go to dance clubs...about once a year just to justify the other 364 days I spend in my apartment going 'God, what idiots!'
Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally on our planet, serves a thousand different functions, all of them positive. To make marijuana against the law is like saying that God made a mistake.
To make marijuana against the law is like saying God made a big mistake.
What do you say we lighten things up and talk about abortion?
Similar quotes
Nobody can come and develop Africa on behalf of Africans.
One of our greatest assets is that all men aspire to be equal and free. This fact haunts the rulers of the Kremlin today for even they cannot change this law of nature and they know it. It is up to us, not only by example but by positive acts, to make the most of this driving force within mankind.
Things themselves cannot touch the soul, not in the least degree, nor have they admission to the soul nor can they turn or move the soul: it turns and moves itself alone and whatever judgment it may think proper to make, such it makes by remaking for itself the things that present themselves to it
The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.
Jesus Christ out-socialists the socialists. He says that in His Kingdom he that is greatest shall be the servant of all. The real test of the saint is not preaching the gospel, but washing disciples' feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual estimate of men but count everything in the estimate of God.
I work only with lost and founds.