If people have to put labels on me, I'd prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, and the third to be folk singer.
Joan BaezRead
The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it.
Interpretation
The true danger lies not in captivity but in our own nature and actions.
Axel Munthe's quote highlights the idea that the real threat is not the wild beast trapped in a cage, but rather the beast within ourselves that embodies cruelty and violence. It suggests that our inner struggles and darker traits are more significant than the external circumstances we often blame for our problems.
In practice
Use this quote in a discussion about human nature and morality.
If people have to put labels on me, I'd prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, and the third to be folk singer.
If you're going to be unreligious, it's likely going to be due to reflecting on it and finding some things that are hard to believe.
Poverty, Poetry, and new Titles of Honor, make Men ridiculous
Evil people naturally assume that you will use that power exactly as they would use it.
Philosophers there are who try to make themselves believe that this life is happy; but they believe it only while they are saying it, and never yet produced conviction in a single mind.
How difficult it is to avoid having a special standard for oneself.
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