How can a man be so brave and so stupid, so gentle and so cruel, so warming and so detestable -- all at the same time?
James ClavellRead
The search for the truth is the most important work in the whole world - and the most dangerous.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Seeking truth is crucial but can be perilous.
This quote emphasizes the significance of pursuing truth, which is considered to be the most essential task in life. However, it also highlights the inherent risks and dangers that accompany this quest, as uncovering the truth can challenge established norms and threaten one's safety or well-being.
Themes
TruthDangerImportanceSearchWork
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about integrity, one might quote Clavell to emphasize the value of honesty.
More from James Clavell
All quotes βLove is a Christian word, Anjin-san. Love is a Christian thought, a Christian ideal. We have no word for 'love' as I understand you to mean it. Duty, loyalty, honor, respect, desire, those words and thoughts are what we have, all that we need.
James ClavellRead
.., by universal custom, your enemy is never more polite than when he is planning or has planned your destruction.
James ClavellRead
Of what real value is a title? The power is the only important thing
James ClavellRead
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A time will come when you will find that in gaining a brief joy you have lost your peace forever.
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Extreme remedies are very appropriate for extreme diseases.
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Itβs funny. I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder, ascending or descending? He said without a doubt descending, because ascending you were so focused on reaching the top, you avoided mistakes. The backside of a mountain is a fight against human nature,β he said. βYou have to care as much about yourself on the way down as you did on the way up.
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He wanted to care, and he could not care. For he had gone away and he could never go back anymore. The gates were closed, the sun was down, and there was no beauty left but the gray beauty of steel that withstands all time. Even the grief he could have borne was left behind in the country of youth, of illusion, of the richness of life, where his winter dreams had flourished.
F. Scott FitzgeraldRead
I seek the lessons God wants to teach me, and that means that I ask why.
Elisabeth ElliotRead
...to many it is not knowledge but the quest for knowledge that gives greater interest to thought-to travel hopefully is better than to arrive.
James JeansRead