It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
And he began to see the truth, that Ged had neither lost nor won but, naming the shadow of his death with his own name, had made himself whole: a man who, knowing his whole true self, cannot be used or possessed by any power other than himself, and whose life therefore is lived for life's sake and never in the service of ruin, or pain, or hatred, or the dark.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the journey of self-discovery and the importance of embracing one's true self.
In this quote from Ursula K. Le Guin, the message revolves around the idea that true fulfillment and wholeness come from understanding and accepting one's own identity. By acknowledging both the light and dark aspects of oneself, a person becomes empowered to live authentically, free from external control and negative influences. Ultimately, it emphasizes the value of living a life of purpose, avoiding destructiveness and negativity.
Themes
Self-DiscoveryIdentityEmpowermentAuthenticityLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech to encourage self-reflection.
More from Ursula K. Le Guin
All quotes →In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have changed a little... But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Reason is a faculty far larger than mere objective force. When either the political or the scientific discourse announces itself as the voice of reason, it is playing God, and should be spanked and stood in the corner.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
When he found that the administrators were upset, he laughed. “Do they expect students not to be anarchists?” he said. “What else can the young be? When you are on the bottom, you must organize from the bottom up
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
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