That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.
Paul ValeryRead
Two dangers constantly threaten the world: order and disorder.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the delicate balance between structure and chaos in the world.
Paul Valery's quote suggests that both order and disorder pose significant threats to society. It implies that while order can lead to rigidity and oppression, disorder can breed chaos and instability, indicating a profound philosophical insight into the nature of balance in human existence and governance.
Themes
OrderDisorderBalanceSocietyChaos
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting about future strategies, this quote can remind colleagues of the importance of balance.
More from Paul Valery
All quotes βOh, hasten not this loving act, Rapture where self and not-self meet: My life has been the awaiting you, Your footfall was my own heart's beat.
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The history of thought may be summed up in these words: it is absurd by what it seeks and great by what it finds.
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The world acquires value only through its extremes and endures only through moderation; extremists make the world great, the moderates give it stability.
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It would be impossible to "love" anyone or anything one knew completely. Love is directed towards what lies hidden in its object.
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You have certainly observed the curious fact that a given word which is perfectly clear when you hear it or use it in everyday language, and which does not give rise to any difficulty when it is engaged in the rapid movement of an ordinary sentence becomes magically embarrassing, introduces a strange resistance, frustrates any effort at definition as soon as you take it out of circulation to examine it separately and look for its meaning after taking away its instantaneous function.
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No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no one will ever look at the earth in the same way. Man had to free himself from earth to perceive both its diminutive place in a solar system and its inestimable value as a life -fostering planet. As earthmen, we may have taken another step into adulthood. We can see our planet earth with detachment, with tenderness, with some shame and pity, but at last also with love.
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Just as a man would not cherish living in a body other than his own, so do nations not like to live under other nations, however noble and great the latter may be.
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Ahimsa is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain as far as is humanly possible from violence.
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