To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
The brotherhood of men does not imply their equality. Families have their fools and their men of genius, their black sheep and their saints, their worldly successes and their worldly failures. A man should treat his brothers lovingly and with justice, according to the deserts of each. But the deserts of every brother are not the same.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the diversity among individuals in relationships and the importance of treating each person according to their unique qualities and contributions.
Aldous Huxley highlights that while men are united in the 'brotherhood of men', they are not equal in talents, achievements, or flaws. He suggests that relationships, especially familial ones, should be rooted in love and justice, recognizing that each individual brings different strengths and weaknesses to the table, thereby warranting varied treatment based on their specific merits and shortcomings.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a family meeting to discuss each sibling’s role during a family event, this quote can be shared to remind everyone of their unique contributions.
More from Aldous Huxley
All quotes →Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
Similar quotes
Like all good things, prayer requires some discipline. Yet I believe that life with God should seem more like friendship than duty. Prayer includes moments of ecstasy and also dullness, mindless distraction and acute concentration, flashes of joy and bouts of irritation. In other words, prayer has features in common with all relationships that matter.
People who have no secrets from each other never want for a subject of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back, neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of their heart, without consideration they say just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.
I was guilty and irritated and full of love and pain. I wanted to kick him and I wanted to take him in my arms.
All black women aren't sassy, loud, difficult, or subservient. We are, in fact, very complex and very diverse, living very complex and diverse lives. That point cannot be made enough.
Just to be clear, Ray Rice was not fired for beating his wife. He was fired because a video of him beating his wife was released.
A man is a better citizen of the United States for being also a loyal citizen of his state and of his city; for being loyal to his family and to his profession or trade; for being loyal to his college or his lodge.