When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.
Edith HamiltonRead
Theories that go counter to the facts of human nature are foredoomed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Theories that ignore human nature are bound to fail.
This quote suggests that any theories or ideas that do not align with the fundamental truths of human nature are destined to be unsuccessful. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and integrating the realities of human behavior and psychology when developing theories about society, culture, or relationships.
Themes
TheoriesHuman NatureFailurePsychologyFacts
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a debate about the effectiveness of certain social theories.
More from Edith Hamilton
All quotes βThe power of good is shown not by triumphantly conquering evil, but by continuing to resist evil while facing certain defeat.
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To rejoice in life, to find the world beautiful ... was a mark of the Greek spirit.
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Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom.
Edith HamiltonRead
So far, we do not seem appalled at the prospect of exactly the same kind of education being applied to all the school children from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but there is an uneasiness in the air, a realization that the individual is growing less easy to find; an idea, perhaps, of what standardization might become when the units are not machines, but human beings.
Edith HamiltonRead
Pain is the most individualized thing on earth. It is true that it is the great common bond as well, but that realization only comes when it is over. To suffer is to be alone. To watch another suffer is to know the barrier that shuts each of us away by himself Only individuals can suffer.
Edith HamiltonRead
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