The whole world might know you and acclaim you, but someone in the past, forever unreachable, forever unknowing, spoils it all.
Interpretation
The acknowledgment and acclaim of the world can feel empty if there is someone from the past whose approval we will never receive.
This quote by Isaac Asimov reflects on the human longing for connection and approval, illustrating that fame and recognition can feel hollow when overshadowed by the desire for validation from those we can no longer reach. It emphasizes the poignant reality that our past relationships, whether positive or negative, shape our present self-image and emotional fulfillment, reminding us that some relationships can leave a lasting impact regardless of time or distance.
In practice
During a motivational speech about the importance of being true to oneself despite fame.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
What does mysticism really mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It's close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.
Hours of solitude, hours of creation, hours of meditation. Solitude and meditation gave me an awareness, a perspective which I have never lost: that of solidarity with the rest of mankind.
Il n'est pas certain que tout soit incertain. (Translation: It is not certain that everything is uncertain.)
Aikido is the spirit of loving protection for all beings.
The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God's children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the Devil.
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.
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