Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
Some of my ancestors fought in the American Revolution. A few more wore red coats, a few wore blue coats, and the rest wore no coats at all. We never did figure out who won that war.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the ambiguity of history and the complexity of truth in events like war.
Edward Abbey’s quote suggests that the outcomes of historical events such as the American Revolution are often murky and open to interpretation. By acknowledging that some of his ancestors fought on both sides, and that the victor remains unclear, Abbey prompts us to consider the subjective nature of history and the multiple narratives that emerge from significant conflicts.
In practice
In a discussion about the significance of historical narratives, this quote can highlight the complexity of our past.
Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
The profit orientation is only one orientation of a person. The same people who are interested in profit-making are also selfless. I am not saying that capitalist theory is wrong. I am saying that it has not been interpreted and practiced fully.
If we are allowed to do experiments on monkeys because we are superior to them in a certain way, then someone who is superior to me is allowed to do experiments on me.
I must achieve internal consistency.
If there's one thing that really annoys a god, it's not knowing something.
Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
All good biography, as all good fiction, comes down to the study of original sin, of our inherent disposition to choose death when we ought to choose life.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.