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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote advocates for selectively adopting useful ideas from various traditions while prioritizing personal experience and common sense.
Edward Abbey encourages us to draw wisdom and insights from a variety of spiritual and philosophical traditions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and others, while emphasizing the importance of our own senses and daily experiences. He suggests that we should be open to borrowing beneficial concepts but ultimately rely on our individual judgment and practical life experiences to navigate our beliefs and actions.
Themes
BorrowingWisdomExperienceBeliefsPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on spirituality and personal growth, one might quote Abbey to emphasize the benefits of eclectic learning.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes →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.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a modern Melville or Tolstoy. But our best fictioneers confine themselves to domestic drama -- soap opera with literary trimmings.
Edward AbbeyRead
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