I believe that in intense conflict, far from becoming sharper, differences melt away.
Rene GirardRead
Having a scapegoat means not knowing that we have one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A scapegoat obscures the truth of our own actions and responsibilities.
Rene Girard's quote suggests that identifying a scapegoat allows individuals or societies to avoid acknowledging their own faults and failures. This practice of blaming others can lead to a lack of self-awareness and prevent meaningful reflection on our own role in conflicts or issues.
Themes
ScapegoatResponsibilityTruthSelf-AwarenessBlame
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about workplace dynamics, one might use the quote to emphasize the importance of personal accountability rather than blaming others.
More from Rene Girard
All quotes βWe don't even know what our desire is. We ask other people to tell us our desires. We would like our desires to come from our deepest selves, our personal depths - but if it did, it would not be desire. Desire is always for something we feel we lack.
Rene GirardRead
The protective system of scapegoats is finally destroyed by the Crucifixion narratives as they reveal Jesus' innocence and, little by little, that of all analogous victims.
Rene GirardRead
Instead of blaming victimization on the victims, the Gospels blame it on the victimizers. What the myths systematically hide, the Bible reveals.
Rene GirardRead
What I call a mimetic crisis is a situation of conflict so intense that on both sides people act the same way and talk the same way even though, or because, they are more and more hostile to each other.
Rene GirardRead
Salvation lies in imitating Christ, in other words, in imitating the 'withdrawal relationship' that links him with his Father... To listen to the Father's silence is to abandon oneself to his withdrawal, to conform to it.
Rene GirardRead
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Something I owe to the soil that grew-More to the life that fed-But most to Allah who gave me two Separate sides of my head. I would go without shirt or shoes, Friends, tobacco, or bread Sooner than for an instant lose Either side of my head.
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