Switzerland is a country where very few things begin, but many things end.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on Switzerland's neutrality and status as a destination for finality rather than initiation.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote about Switzerland highlights the country's unique position in global affairs and culture. It suggests that while not a site of beginnings—such as wars or revolutions—Switzerland is often where matters conclude, representing a place of peace and resolution. This reflects the notion of Switzerland as a haven for those seeking closure or a final destination, both literally and metaphorically.
In practice
During a discussion about Switzerland's role in international diplomacy, this quote can illustrate the country's unique standing.
Don't be so anxious about it,' she laughed. 'I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do; I never got the trick of it.' She looked down at him, shy and fatigued. 'So here we are. I told you years ago that I had the makings of Cinderella.' He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his. 'Beg your pardon. Not even used to being touched. But I'm not afraid of you, if you stay quiet and don't move suddenly.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
It was about then [1920] that I wrote a line which certain people will not let me forget: "She was a faded but still lovely woman of twenty-seven."
The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.
But you can love more than just one person, can't you?
A sudden gust of rain blew over them and then another - as if small liquid clouds were bouncing along the land. Lightning entered the sea far off and the air blew full of crackling thunder. The table cloths blew around the pillars. They blew and blew and blew. The flags twisted around the red chairs like live things, the banners were ragged, the corners of the table tore off through the burbling billowing ends of the cloths.
He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
The sage does not act and therefore does not fail, does not seize and therefore does not lose.
Blind nature will nearly always select the most probable, but man can let the most improbable become actual.
Capitalism cannot reform itself; it is doomed to self-destruction.
Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.
Your will is the ego part of you that believes you're separate from others, separate from what you'd like to accomplish or have, and separate from God. It also believes that you are your acquisitions, achievements, and accolades. This ego will wants you to constantly acquire evidence of your importance... On the other hand, your imagination is the concept of Spirit within you. ...with imagination, we have the power to be anything we desire to be.
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