The Greeks possessed a knowledge of human nature we seem hardly able to attain to without passing through the strengthening hibernation of a new barbarism.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
A book is a mirror: if an ape looks into it an apostle is hardly likely to look out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that one's outlook is shaped by one's understanding and nature.
Georg C. Lichtenberg's quote suggests that a book, much like a mirror, reflects the readerβs own character and intellect. If a person lacking wisdom and insight engages with a text, they will likely extract superficial or misguided interpretations, much like an ape would, while a wise person, akin to an apostle, would garner profound insights. It serves as a reminder that the value we receive from literature is deeply influenced by our own mindset and experience.
Themes
BooksReadingWisdomInsightCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
During a book club meeting to emphasize the importance of perspective.
More from Georg C. Lichtenberg
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The thoughts written on the walls of madhouses by their inmates might be worth publicizing.
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The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it.
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Food probably has a very great influence on the condition of men. Wine exercises a more visible influence, food does it more slowly but perhaps just as surely. Who knows if a well-prepared soup was not responsible for the pneumatic pump or a poor one for a war?
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
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