Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
What's the difference between the Lone Ranger and God? There really is a Lone Ranger.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts the fictional character of the Lone Ranger with the divine, suggesting that while the Lone Ranger is real, God is a concept that is debated.
Edward Abbey's quote highlights the distinction between reality and belief. The Lone Ranger, as a tangible and fictional character, represents individual heroism and action, while the reference to God invokes a deeper philosophical discussion about faith and existence. Abbey cleverly critiques our willingness to accept the existence of mythic heroes while simultaneously questioning the belief in a higher power, inviting reflection on our perceptions of truth and spirituality.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the nature of reality versus fiction.
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.
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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.
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The darkness of death is like the evening twilight; it makes all objects appear more lovely to the dying.
Men write many fine and plausible arguments in support of monarchy, but the fact remains that where every man has a voice, brutal laws are impossible
No one can argue any longer about the rights of women. It's like arguing about earthquakes.
The weight of the world is on our shoulders, its vision is through our eyes; if we blink or look aside, or turn back to finger what Plato said or remember Napoleon and his conquests, we inflict on the world the injury of some obliquity. This is life.
Who can map out the various forces at play in one soul? Man is a great depth, O Lord. The hairs of his head are easier by far to count than his feeling, the movements of his heart.
He found himself still with too many questions and not enough answers.