Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
Jacob BronowskiRead
The wish to hurt, the momentary intoxication with pain, is the loophole through which the pervert climbs into the minds of ordinary men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The desire to inflict pain can corrupt the thoughts of otherwise ordinary individuals.
In this quote, Jacob Bronowski delves into the darker aspects of human nature, suggesting that the fleeting satisfaction derived from causing harm creates an opening for perverse influences to infiltrate the psyche of regular people. It serves as a cautionary reminder of how easily one may succumb to negative impulses when they allow themselves to entertain thoughts of harm or cruelty.
Themes
PainPerversionHuman NatureCrueltyInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the consequences of bullying, one might say, 'As Jacob Bronowski wisely noted, the wish to hurt can lead us down a dark path.'
More from Jacob Bronowski
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To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society practices both together.
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A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He does so by finding a likeness between things which were not thought alike before.
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The values by which we are to survive are not rules for just and unjust conduct, but are those deeper illuminations in whose light justice and injustice, good and evil, means and ends are seen in fearful sharpness of outline.
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The basis for poetry and scientific discovery is the ability to comprehend the unlike in the like and the like in the unlike.
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