For us lads of eighteen they ought to have been mediators and guides to the world of maturity, the world of work, of duty, of culture, of progress -- to the future.
Erich Maria RemarqueRead
Keep things at arm's length... If you let anything come too near you want to hold on to it. And there is nothing a man can hold on to.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of emotional detachment to prevent attachment and suffering.
Erich Maria Remarque's quote reflects on the human tendency to cling to things and people, suggesting that fostering a sense of distance or detachment can help protect one's emotional well-being. By keeping things at arm's length, we can avoid the pain associated with loss or the inevitable changes of life, recognizing that true peace comes from accepting the transient nature of existence.
Themes
DetachmentAttachmentEmotionsSufferingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker could use this quote during a self-improvement seminar to encourage emotional resilience.
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(Ravic speaking of a butterfly caught in the Louvre) In the morning it would search for flowers and life and the light honey of blossoms and would not find them and later it would fall asleep on millennial marble, weakened by then, until the grip of the delicate, tenacious feet loosened and it fell, a thin leaf of premature autumn.
Erich Maria RemarqueRead
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