Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.
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It is the acquisition of skills in particular, irrespective of their utility, that is potent in making life meaningful. Since read more
It is the acquisition of skills in particular, irrespective of their utility, that is potent in making life meaningful. Since man has no inborn skills, the survival of the species has depended on the ability to acquire and perfect skills. Hence the mastery of skills is a uniquely human activity and yields deep satisfaction.
A kiss to or from a woman we love is a far too delicate pledge of affection to bear the read more
A kiss to or from a woman we love is a far too delicate pledge of affection to bear the gaze of strangers.
When we leave people on their own, we are delivering them into the hands of a ruthless taskmaster from whose read more
When we leave people on their own, we are delivering them into the hands of a ruthless taskmaster from whose bondage there is no escape. The individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.
The craving to change the world is perhaps a reflection of the craving to change ourselves.
The craving to change the world is perhaps a reflection of the craving to change ourselves.
Habits... the only reason they persist is that they are offering some satisfaction. You allow them to persist by not read more
Habits... the only reason they persist is that they are offering some satisfaction. You allow them to persist by not seeking any other, better form of satisfying the same needs. Every habit, good or bad, is acquired and learned in the same way -- by finding that it is a means of satisfaction.
It's amazing how much "mature wisdom" resembles being too tired.
It's amazing how much "mature wisdom" resembles being too tired.
Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.
Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.
It may indeed prove to be far the most difficult and not the least important task for human reason rationally read more
It may indeed prove to be far the most difficult and not the least important task for human reason rationally to comprehend its own limitations. It is essential for the growth of reason that as individuals we should bow to forces and obey principles which we cannot hope fully to understand, yet on which the advance and even the preservation of civilization depend.
There is nothing so awkward as courting a woman whilst she is making sausages.
There is nothing so awkward as courting a woman whilst she is making sausages.
