Ownership is not a vice, not something to be ashamed of, but rather a commitment, and an instrument by which the general good can be served.
Vaclav HavelRead
Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness a more humane society will not emerge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A shift in human awareness is essential for creating a better society.
Vaclav Havel emphasizes that meaningful societal change requires a transformation in human consciousness. Without this inner revolution, efforts to build a more humane and just society are likely to be superficial and ineffective, as true progress begins within individual minds and hearts.
Themes
ConsciousnessSocietyChangeHumanityRevolution
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for social reform, one might say, 'Without a global revolution in human consciousness, we cannot expect to build a more humane society.'
More from Vaclav Havel
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Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren't in fact sad guardians of the meaning of life.
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The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both.
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Human rights, human freedoms... and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world... while the state is a human creation, human beings are the creation of God.
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Man is not an omipotent master of the universe, allowed to do with impunity whatever he thinks, or whatever suits him at the moment. The world we live in is made of an immensely complex and mysterious tissue about which we know very little and which we must treat with utmost humility.
Vaclav HavelRead
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If I would follow your advice and Jesus could perceive it, he, as a Jewish teacher, surely would not approve of such behavior.
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We put pride into everything like salt. We like to see that our good works are known. If our virtues are seen, we are pleased; if our faults are perceived, we are sad. I remark that in a great many people; if one says anything to them, it disturbs them, it annoys them. The saints were not like that - they were vexed if their virtues were known, and pleased that their imperfections should be seen.
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I've been present at birth, and death is just as present and in equal balance. And I've been present at death, and birth is just as present, again in equal balance.
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Every video I'm in, every magazine cover, they stretch you; they make you perfect. It's not real life.
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