Don't take shadows too seriously. Reality is your only safety. Continue to reject illusion.
Wole SoyinkaRead
I ceased using words like optimism and pessimism a long time ago.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker has moved beyond simplistic labels that define attitudes towards life.
In this quote, Wole Soyinka expresses a rejection of binary thinking, specifically the labels of optimism and pessimism, suggesting that such terms are inadequate to capture the complexity of human experience. By ceasing to use these words, he implies a more nuanced approach to life, one that recognizes a spectrum of emotions and responses rather than confining oneself to extreme viewpoints.
Themes
PerspectiveComplexityLifeAttitudePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on mental health, this quote can highlight the complexity of human emotions.
More from Wole Soyinka
All quotes βTrading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and especially on the African continent.
Wole SoyinkaRead
A war, with its attendant human suffering, must, when that evil is unavoidable, be made to fragment more than buildings: It must shatter the foundations of thought and re-create. Only in this way does every individual share in the cataclysm and understand the purpose of sacrifice.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Rwanda, which is one of the younger independent states in Africa, must be regarded as a model of how great human trauma can be transformed to commence true reconstruction of people. Human trauma can lead to stunted growth and mass withdrawal.
Wole SoyinkaRead
I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.
Wole SoyinkaRead
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