When I came a cross this quote the first thing that came to my mind was when people get pressured. People always do stupid stuff and it can determine or twist the outcome in what you have work so hard for.
"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken"
I like this and I dont like this. I guess I'm taking it in two ways?
One way I'm thinking it's saying people who love no matter how hard it is. Like okay an example would be you're in a relationship and the person you're with ends up having to move and you're like well let's try to make it work. I would consider that bending because the person your with is leaving but your still together so technically your heart cant break because it was never broken...
Moving on...
On the other hand I don't like it because the second way I see it is that if you don't give your all into a relationship you can never get hurt. I guess I don't see the point in that. I feel like you need to jump in order to feel anything. Much like Mursault (sp?) who never gave into his relationship so he couldn't ever really get hurt while Marie seemed to be all into the relationship. I don't know it just bothers me I mean whats the point of being in a relationship with someone if you arent going to bring all of your walls down?
"At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things."
I do not agree with this at all. I think that we are learning things about ourselves everday day of our lives and we will learn things until the day we die. I think different situations teach us different things and give us insight into ourselves.
I find this to be very true. As you well know, freedom is something that you must earn. With freedom comes a lot of responsibility.. a responsibility which can be argued over whether or not we as people are ready to handle. Many people need guidelines, rules, something to remind them of what is okay and what isn't. However cryptic that sounds, that humans must be treated as children to keep them from destroying themselves or others, a part of it is true. Were we one hundred percent free to do as we pleased, I do not think too many would prove to be too noble or wise in their choices. I am not saying that I do not have any faith in human beings, just that man has a tendency to be drawn towards the dark before he (or she) can even begin to see the light. So, yes, freedom is a chance to be better... but it is also a chance to become worse.
"The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants. "
I think this is so true. Think about it: if you look at all of the dictators from the beginning of time, they all had some "greater cause" in mind. No dictator could ever get away with being evil just to be evil. Even the lowest, most tawdry citizen would revolt if that were the case. But give people a REASON for all of the harm that you're causing, no matter how ridiculous it is? Then people will be okay with that.
First, I love the abstract art one that bombilla! posted. I have a hard time understanding the big picutres that are just big orange blocks and thats it. That's not talent to me. I guess I understand that there is beauty in simplicity and blah blah but mostly I find it absurd.
And I think wealthy people that like to feel cultured will buy it if only to seem well-rehearsed in the ways of modern art.
AND Rock Lobster, your insight on the heart quote was awesome. I think a lot of people, mostly jaded girls, will try to take this approach of "I won't get too close and so I won't get hurt" which, in the case of most teen-oriented movies, ends up with said girl falling in love anyway and whatever.
But I also think that this quote could mean that if you allow your heart to be flexible through acceptance and tolerance it's much harder to break.
There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. I think allowing your heart to "bend" is being able to know the difference. I also think it ties in greatly with forgiveness.
Sorry I felt the need to do all this in three seperate posts. I hope we can all still be friends.
SO, now that I've commented on other people's quotes, I think I'll throw in my own.
"Don't believe your friends when they ask you to be honest with them. All they really want is to be maintained in the good opinion they have of themselves." -Albert Camus
Fabulous. Okay, yes this is an easy quote to analyze but I love it because it holds so much truth. And also because Albert Camus is not American so it's nice to know that this concept of saying what people want to hear is international, not just some social nicety of America.
I wonder if we really do want to hear the truth. And I am not just talking about typical examples like "Does this top make my arms look fat?" or what have you, but more in-depth things like.."Do I take things too personally?" and "Am I a selfish person?"
Are these things that we know we struggle with and want affirmation against? Or do we just need someone to tell us that it's a problem so that we can begin to work on it? Does this differ from person to person? I just don't know.
These quotes were interesting, and I like the responses. I definitely agree with sunshine that we are constantly learning; I do not think that there is ever a point when we stop learning more about ourselves. Every new situation in every day plays a role in influencing that. And hopefully all of us have days after we turn 30.
In response to BK's analysis of the asking for honesty quote, I agree that yes it is so often true. But I want to bring up that if you're asking someone to be honest, was the original expectation for the friend to lie about it? I know with my few closest friends that we never ask for honesty because that's what we trust we are sharing all the time, with every word that we say, not just words that are "asked for." I guess part of what I'm wondering with the quote is how close are the friends if they are asking for honesty and yet only wanting what they want to hear. I personally tend to prefer what I need to hear.
"Alas after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." Oh-so-existentialist. This theme of responsibility and answering for one's actions. This is reminiscent of Meursault and the choice to shoot. I can see connections through some of these quotes directly to The Stranger, which helps give some more depth to how Camus himself felt.
"At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face." To me, the feeling of absurdity is one of those moments where suddenly (often in the middle of an everyday action, opening the fridge, drying one's hands with a towel) everything becomes hollow. Thoughts stop completely for a second and one wonders whether we even really exist at all. I agree with this quotes because that feeling can come about unprompted at any time, any place.
To end with some humor from Camus... "Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep."
"Abstract Art: A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."
quite frankly this quote just about broke my heart. i love camus. i love his writing (even though he claimed he was not an existentialist) but after reading this, i just might have to end this love affair of mine.
as someone who both reads and writes poetry with the productivity of a nike factory in taiwan, i see abstract art as the visual way of describing what can't just be...said. it's emotion that you can touch. it's the expression of what the artists thinks...feels...or doesn't understand. you can take from a piece whatever you wish if only you open your mind to it. color, shape, line...these all exude within our subconscious feeling.
don't look at a painting and get hung up on the "a two year old could have done this" because in truth, could that same two year old have intended that splash of red to symbolize passion? that hint of black to make one mourn? no. so shut up. the abstract is not about how difficult it was to paint the piece. it's about making you feel something. it's not for everyone, especially not anyone who is not willing to open their mind to something beyond what they can grasp.
Okay, so my dad has this saying that he's used for as long as I can remember (especially during election years), and that is "the one thing you can't fix is stupid". Human stupidity is a unifying characteristic of our race. Everyone has done something, said something, or at least thought something that could fall into the "stupid" category. As educated individuals, this is the ongoing battle we will continue until the end of time.
"After all, every murderer when he kills runs the risk of the most dreadful of deaths, whereas those who kill him risk nothing except promotion. "
This quote completely embodies my feelings on the death penalty. I am not a strong republican or democrat, I merely think that the idea of killing someone because they killed someone is a bit ridiculous.
Bman2464's quote is really good. That is a good theory and in my eyes/opinion i believe in that quote because i would rather live knowing and have a belief in god than to die and find out there is none. I would have something to look forward to with the after life. To say im gonna die and have no beliefs in where you are going to go just doesnt make since. I would rather have faith and know that there is a heaven and when i find out im dead and there is none..i wont be disappointed in the whole aspect because there is nothing that i can do about it and i am already dead so it wouldnt matter in my eyes. But if i go around saying there is no god and when i die find out that there is one and i have to go to hell for not believeing i will be very frustrated! =)
19 comments:
This is probably not the depth we're supposed to be shooting for with examining these quotes, but I really liked this one:
"Abstract Art: A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."
Makes you look at the art exhibit we saw recently in a whole new light...
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is."
Amen to that. Better safe than sorry, eh?
"Stupidity has a knack of getting its way."
When I came a cross this quote the first thing that came to my mind was when people get pressured. People always do stupid stuff and it can determine or twist the outcome in what you have work so hard for.
"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken"
I like this and I dont like this. I guess I'm taking it in two ways?
One way I'm thinking it's saying people who love no matter how hard it is. Like okay an example would be you're in a relationship and the person you're with ends up having to move and you're like well let's try to make it work. I would consider that bending because the person your with is leaving but your still together so technically your heart cant break because it was never broken...
Moving on...
On the other hand I don't like it because the second way I see it is that if you don't give your all into a relationship you can never get hurt. I guess I don't see the point in that. I feel like you need to jump in order to feel anything. Much like Mursault (sp?) who never gave into his relationship so he couldn't ever really get hurt while Marie seemed to be all into the relationship. I don't know it just bothers me I mean whats the point of being in a relationship with someone if you arent going to bring all of your walls down?
"At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things."
I do not agree with this at all. I think that we are learning things about ourselves everday day of our lives and we will learn things until the day we die. I think different situations teach us different things and give us insight into ourselves.
"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better."
I find this to be very true. As you well know, freedom is something that you must earn. With freedom comes a lot of responsibility.. a responsibility which can be argued over whether or not we as people are ready to handle. Many people need guidelines, rules, something to remind them of what is okay and what isn't. However cryptic that sounds, that humans must be treated as children to keep them from destroying themselves or others, a part of it is true. Were we one hundred percent free to do as we pleased, I do not think too many would prove to be too noble or wise in their choices. I am not saying that I do not have any faith in human beings, just that man has a tendency to be drawn towards the dark before he (or she) can even begin to see the light. So, yes, freedom is a chance to be better... but it is also a chance to become worse.
"The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants. "
I think this is so true. Think about it: if you look at all of the dictators from the beginning of time, they all had some "greater cause" in mind. No dictator could ever get away with being evil just to be evil. Even the lowest, most tawdry citizen would revolt if that were the case. But give people a REASON for all of the harm that you're causing, no matter how ridiculous it is? Then people will be okay with that.
First, I love the abstract art one that bombilla! posted. I have a hard time understanding the big picutres that are just big orange blocks and thats it. That's not talent to me. I guess I understand that there is beauty in simplicity and blah blah but mostly I find it absurd.
And I think wealthy people that like to feel cultured will buy it if only to seem well-rehearsed in the ways of modern art.
AND Rock Lobster, your insight on the heart quote was awesome. I think a lot of people, mostly jaded girls, will try to take this approach of "I won't get too close and so I won't get hurt" which, in the case of most teen-oriented movies, ends up with said girl falling in love anyway and whatever.
But I also think that this quote could mean that if you allow your heart to be flexible through acceptance and tolerance it's much harder to break.
There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. I think allowing your heart to "bend" is being able to know the difference. I also think it ties in greatly with forgiveness.
Sorry I felt the need to do all this in three seperate posts. I hope we can all still be friends.
SO, now that I've commented on other people's quotes, I think I'll throw in my own.
"Don't believe your friends when they ask you to be honest with them. All they really want is to be maintained in the good opinion they have of themselves."
-Albert Camus
Fabulous. Okay, yes this is an easy quote to analyze but I love it because it holds so much truth. And also because Albert Camus is not American so it's nice to know that this concept of saying what people want to hear is international, not just some social nicety of America.
I wonder if we really do want to hear the truth. And I am not just talking about typical examples like "Does this top make my arms look fat?" or what have you, but more in-depth things like.."Do I take things too personally?" and "Am I a selfish person?"
Are these things that we know we struggle with and want affirmation against? Or do we just need someone to tell us that it's a problem so that we can begin to work on it? Does this differ from person to person? I just don't know.
These quotes were interesting, and I like the responses. I definitely agree with sunshine that we are constantly learning; I do not think that there is ever a point when we stop learning more about ourselves. Every new situation in every day plays a role in influencing that. And hopefully all of us have days after we turn 30.
In response to BK's analysis of the asking for honesty quote, I agree that yes it is so often true. But I want to bring up that if you're asking someone to be honest, was the original expectation for the friend to lie about it? I know with my few closest friends that we never ask for honesty because that's what we trust we are sharing all the time, with every word that we say, not just words that are "asked for." I guess part of what I'm wondering with the quote is how close are the friends if they are asking for honesty and yet only wanting what they want to hear. I personally tend to prefer what I need to hear.
To finish up in a second comment...
"Alas after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." Oh-so-existentialist. This theme of responsibility and answering for one's actions. This is reminiscent of Meursault and the choice to shoot. I can see connections through some of these quotes directly to The Stranger, which helps give some more depth to how Camus himself felt.
"At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face." To me, the feeling of absurdity is one of those moments where suddenly (often in the middle of an everyday action, opening the fridge, drying one's hands with a towel) everything becomes hollow. Thoughts stop completely for a second and one wonders whether we even really exist at all. I agree with this quotes because that feeling can come about unprompted at any time, any place.
To end with some humor from Camus...
"Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep."
"Abstract Art: A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."
quite frankly this quote just about broke my heart. i love camus. i love his writing (even though he claimed he was not an existentialist) but after reading this, i just might have to end this love affair of mine.
as someone who both reads and writes poetry with the productivity of a nike factory in taiwan, i see abstract art as the visual way of describing what can't just be...said. it's emotion that you can touch. it's the expression of what the artists thinks...feels...or doesn't understand. you can take from a piece whatever you wish if only you open your mind to it. color, shape, line...these all exude within our subconscious feeling.
don't look at a painting and get hung up on the "a two year old could have done this" because in truth, could that same two year old have intended that splash of red to symbolize passion? that hint of black to make one mourn? no. so shut up.
the abstract is not about how difficult it was to paint the piece. it's about making you feel something. it's not for everyone, especially not anyone who is not willing to open their mind to something beyond what they can grasp.
"Stupidity has a knack of getting its way."
Okay, so my dad has this saying that he's used for as long as I can remember (especially during election years), and that is "the one thing you can't fix is stupid". Human stupidity is a unifying characteristic of our race. Everyone has done something, said something, or at least thought something that could fall into the "stupid" category. As educated individuals, this is the ongoing battle we will continue until the end of time.
Uh oh--Just a Theory--I'll have to watch it with my lecturing.
My dad says that too.
And Ms. Coleman, at least for me, I don't fall asleep in class.
"After all, every murderer when he kills runs the risk of the most dreadful of deaths, whereas those who kill him risk nothing except promotion. "
This quote completely embodies my feelings on the death penalty. I am not a strong republican or democrat, I merely think that the idea of killing someone because they killed someone is a bit ridiculous.
Bman2464's quote is really good. That is a good theory and in my eyes/opinion i believe in that quote because i would rather live knowing and have a belief in god than to die and find out there is none. I would have something to look forward to with the after life. To say im gonna die and have no beliefs in where you are going to go just doesnt make since. I would rather have faith and know that there is a heaven and when i find out im dead and there is none..i wont be disappointed in the whole aspect because there is nothing that i can do about it and i am already dead so it wouldnt matter in my eyes. But if i go around saying there is no god and when i die find out that there is one and i have to go to hell for not believeing i will be very frustrated! =)
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