Admiration is a very short-lived passion, that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object.
Joseph AddisonRead
We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or keep alive those who only live now in the telling.
Interpretation
Our identities and existence are shaped by the stories we share, preserving the essence of those who came before us.
This quote emphasizes the profound connection between storytelling and human existence. It suggests that stories define who we are and serve a dual purpose: they help us maintain our identity while also honoring and keeping alive the memories of those who have passed. Through the act of storytelling, we not only remember our own experiences but also ensure that the legacies of others endure as long as their stories are retold.
In practice
In a graduation speech to highlight the importance of personal narratives.
Admiration is a very short-lived passion, that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object.
Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.
Travelling is almost like talking with those of other centuries.
How unbearable at times are people who are happy, people for whom everything works out.
I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it. What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine β and before we know it our lives are gone.
The realisation that our small planet is only one of many worlds gives mankind the perspective it needs to realise sooner that our own world belongs to all its creatures.
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