I leave shreds of my soul on every experience.
Alas, nothing reveals man the way war does. Nothing so accentuates in him the beauty and ugliness, the intelligence and foolishness, the brutishness and humanity, the courage and cowardice, the enigma.
Interpretation
What this quote means
War brings out the duality of human nature, showcasing both our virtues and vices.
Oriana Fallaci's quote reflects the profound and often contrasting aspects of humanity that are revealed in the face of war. In conflict, individuals encounter a wide spectrum of characteristics, from bravery and intellect to brutality and cowardice. War serves as a harsh mirror, exposing the complex nature of humanity, which consists of beauty intertwined with ugliness, wisdom alongside folly, and compassion coexisting with cruelty. Ultimately, it highlights the enigmatic essence of what it means to be human.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the impact of war on society.
More from Oriana Fallaci
All quotes →I know ours is a world made by men for men, their dictatorship is so ancient it even extends to language.
A lot of women ask themselves why they should bring a child into the world? So that it will be hungry, so that it will be cold, so that it will be betrayed and humiliated, so that it will be slaughtered by war or disease? They reject the hope that its hunger will be satisfied, its cold warmed, that loyalty and respect will accompany it through life, that it will be a devote a life to the effort to eliminate war and disease.
You cannot govern, you cannot administrate, with an ignoramus.
What are the symbols of American strength, wealth, power and modernity? Certainly not jazz and rock and roll, not chewing-gum or hamburgers, Broadway or Hollywood. It's their skyscrapers. Their Pentagon. Their science. Their technology.
I am known for a life spent in the struggle for freedom, and freedom includes the freedom of religion.
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We can certainly go further than cats, but why should it be that our brains are somehow so suited to the universe that our brains will be able to understand the deepest workings?
Any attempt at understanding humanity must include an explanation of the hold that supernatural belief continues to have on most of the human race.
But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
A strong hatred is the best lamp to bear in our hands as we go over the dark places of life, cutting away the dead things men tell us to revere.