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
Truth is always the enemy of power. And power the enemy of truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Truth and power are in constant conflict, each undermining the other.
This quote by Edward Abbey suggests a fundamental tension between truth and power. It implies that those in power often distort or suppress the truth to maintain their dominance, while the pursuit of truth can undermine established powers. Abbey's perspective highlights the ethical dilemmas faced when truth confronts authority, emphasizing the necessity for integrity and honesty in the face of coercive forces.
Themes
TruthPowerConflictAuthorityHonesty
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate, one might quote Abbey to highlight the tensions between politicians' statements and their underlying truth.
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.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
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
Similar quotes
I am satisfied that when the Almighty wants me to do or not do any particular thing, He finds a way of letting me know it
Abraham LincolnRead
You say to me 'Show me your God.' I answer you, 'Everything you see in your heart that might sadden God, remove.'
Saint AugustineRead
There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted.
Henry David ThoreauRead
We have a tendency to make assumptions about everything! The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are truth. We could swear they are real. We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking-we take it personally-then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison in our word. That is why whenever we make assumptions, we're asking for problems. We make assumptions, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.
Miguel Angel RuizRead
She would have liked not to be alive, or to be always asleep.
Gustave FlaubertRead
The rule of joy and the law of duty seem to me all one.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read