I believe that in intense conflict, far from becoming sharper, differences melt away.
Rene GirardRead
We don't even know what our desire is. We ask other people to tell us our desires. We would like our desires to come from our deepest selves, our personal depths - but if it did, it would not be desire. Desire is always for something we feel we lack.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Desires often stem from a sense of lack and can be influenced by others rather than our true selves.
This quote by Rene Girard reflects on the complexity of human desire, suggesting that individuals frequently rely on external sources to define what they want, rather than discovering their authentic desires from within. Girard emphasizes that true desire emerges from personal depth and introspection, yet it paradoxically remains tied to feelings of inadequacy or lack, illustrating the intricate relationship between self-awareness and the quest for fulfillment.
Themes
DesireSelfLackInternalExternalDepths
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion on human nature.
More from Rene Girard
All quotes →The protective system of scapegoats is finally destroyed by the Crucifixion narratives as they reveal Jesus' innocence and, little by little, that of all analogous victims.
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Instead of blaming victimization on the victims, the Gospels blame it on the victimizers. What the myths systematically hide, the Bible reveals.
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What I call a mimetic crisis is a situation of conflict so intense that on both sides people act the same way and talk the same way even though, or because, they are more and more hostile to each other.
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Salvation lies in imitating Christ, in other words, in imitating the 'withdrawal relationship' that links him with his Father... To listen to the Father's silence is to abandon oneself to his withdrawal, to conform to it.
Rene GirardRead
It doesn't take much insight to realize that wars have been getting worse every time - worse from the point of view of the civilian, more and more destructive, more and more total.
Rene GirardRead
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