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We broke the world to make it whole.
Ursula K. Le Guin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the paradox of destruction leading to creation and healing.

Ursula K. Le Guin's quote, 'We broke the world to make it whole,' suggests that through the act of breaking down existing structures or systems, one can pave the way for renewal and healing. It highlights the idea that sometimes, in order to achieve completeness or wholeness, one must first confront and dismantle the imperfections and flaws within the world. This process, while painful and destructive, can ultimately lead to a more profound understanding and a better future.

Themes

ChangeCreationHealingPhilosophyDestruction

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on environmental sustainability, one might use this quote to emphasize the necessity of drastic measures for long-term restoration.

More from Ursula K. Le Guin

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
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In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have changed a little... But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.
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Reason is a faculty far larger than mere objective force. When either the political or the scientific discourse announces itself as the voice of reason, it is playing God, and should be spanked and stood in the corner.
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The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
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We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.
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When he found that the administrators were upset, he laughed. β€œDo they expect students not to be anarchists?” he said. β€œWhat else can the young be? When you are on the bottom, you must organize from the bottom up
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