Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
We live in a society in which it is normal to be sick; and sick to be abnormal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote criticizes societal norms that accept sickness as standard while viewing health as unusual.
Edward Abbey's quote reflects on the paradoxical nature of modern society, suggesting that we have come to accept sickness as a common state of being, rather than striving for health. It highlights the irony in which the majority's acceptance of illness renders those who are healthy as 'abnormal', questioning the values and perceptions that shape our understanding of wellness and normalcy.
Themes
SocietyHealthSicknessNormalcyPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a discussion on public health policies.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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