Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
The Bat that flits at close of Eve_x000D_ _x000D_ Has left the Brain that won't believe._x000D_ _x000D_ The Owl that calls upon the Night_x000D_ _x000D_ Speaks the Unbeliever's fright.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the tension between belief and skepticism, using imagery of a bat and an owl to symbolize different states of understanding.
In this quote, William Blake juxtaposes the activities of a bat, which is active at dusk and represents doubt and disbelief, with an owl, a creature of the night that embodies wisdom and insight. The bat leaving the brain signifies the departure of reason and certainty, while the owl's call represents the fears that stem from uncertainty and disbelief, suggesting that embracing knowledge and belief can illuminate the darkness of ignorance.
Themes
BeliefSkepticismFearKnowledgeWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about belief systems, this quote can highlight the fears that accompany skepticism.
More from William Blake
All quotes βIn seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
William BlakeRead
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
William BlakeRead
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
William BlakeRead
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
William BlakeRead
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
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Similar quotes
Do you, good people, believe that Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden and that they were forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge? I do. The church has always been afraid of that tree. It still is afraid of knowledge. Some of you say religion makes people happy. So does laughing gas. So does whiskey. I believe in the brain of man.
Clarence DarrowRead
We are a continent of refugees, and if you say we can't integrate refugees, that's not consistent with our values, even if borders cannot be wide open.
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I think people respond to dystopian stories because they're ways of acting out anxieties that we have and fears that we have about the future. So much media's coming at you over the Internet, your brain gets overloaded. You don't know what to do with it. And one thing you can do with it is read a story.
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To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not / You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy.
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Mind, I am not preaching anything contrary to accepted morality. I am not advocating free love in this or any other case. Society must go on, I suppose, and society can only exist if the normal, if the virtuous, and the slightly deceitful flourish, and if the passionate, the headstrong, and the too-truthful are condemned to suicide and madness.
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So long as there are earnest believers in the world, they will always wish to punish opinions, even if their judgment tells them it is unwise and their conscience that it is wrong.
Walter BagehotRead