The Sufi way is through knowledge and practice, not through intellect and talk.
Idries ShahRead
To 'see both sides' of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding a problem requires recognizing multiple perspectives beyond just two.
The quote by Idries Shah suggests that when addressing a problem, merely considering two opposing viewpoints can hinder true understanding and resolution. Instead, it emphasizes that every issue typically encompasses a range of perspectives, complexities, and nuances that must be acknowledged to arrive at a comprehensive solution.
Themes
PerspectiveUnderstandingProblem-SolvingComplexitySolution
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about policy changes, one might use this quote to encourage discussion beyond binary arguments.
More from Idries Shah
All quotes βYou have not forgotten to remember; You have remembered to forget. But people can forget to forget. That is just as important as remembering to remember - and generally more practical.
Idries ShahRead
Banality is like boredom: bored people are boring people, people who think that things are banal are themselves banal. Interesting people can find something interesting in all things.
Idries ShahRead
Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right effort, right time, right people, right materials.
Idries ShahRead
To be obsessed by the idea of freedom, for instance, is itself a form of slavery. Such people are in the chains of the hope of freedom, and are therefore able to do little else than struggle with them.
Idries ShahRead
The proverb says that 'The answer to a fool is silence'. Observation, however, indicates that almost any other answer will have the same effect in the long run.
Idries ShahRead
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