Nothing exasperates the spirit in man more than power which seems unconquerable and which makes impotent all protest.
George William RussellRead
We have the universe to roam in in imagination. It is our virtue to be infinitely varied. The worst tyranny is uniformity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Imagination allows us to explore limitless possibilities, while uniformity restricts our potential.
This quote emphasizes the importance of imagination and variety in human experience. George William Russell suggests that the ability to envision new ideas and alternatives is a crucial virtue, contrasting this with the restrictive nature of uniformity, which he identifies as a form of tyranny that limits freedom and creativity. Thus, embracing diversity in thought and expression enriches our lives and the universe we inhabit.
Themes
ImaginationUniformityVarietyCreativityFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about fostering creativity in education, one might use this quote to highlight the need for diverse thinking.
More from George William Russell
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It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.
PlatoRead
A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.
George GurdjieffRead
We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.
Edward BernaysRead
Freedom only for supporters of the government, only for the members of one party - however numerous they may be - is no freedom at all. Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently. Not because of any fanatical concept of 'justice' but because all that is instructive, wholesome and purifying in political freedom depends on this essential characteristic, and its effectiveness vanishes when 'freedom' becomes a special privilege.
Rosa LuxemburgRead
As a man thinketh, so is he, and as a man chooseth, so is he.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
After all, if there is no class stratification in a society, it follows that there is no state, because the state arose as an instrument to be used by a particular class to control the rest of society in its own interests.
Walter RodneyRead