We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of personal accountability and dignity in admitting one's mistakes.
Kazuo Ishiguro's quote prompts introspection about the nature of mistakes and personal responsibility. By questioning the dignity associated with one's own mistakes, it challenges the reader to consider how much control we truly have over our actions and decisions, and what it means to acknowledge our flaws. It suggests that a deeper understanding of our choices and the influences on them can lead to greater self-awareness and integrity.
Themes
MistakesDignityAccountabilitySelf-ReflectionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, you might say, 'As Kazuo Ishiguro reminds us about dignity and mistakes, it's crucial to learn from our experiences.'
More from Kazuo Ishiguro
All quotes →You need to remember that. If you’re to have decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
If you were a boy and a girl and you were in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years together before you began your donations.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
We all live inside bodies that will deteriorate. But when you look at human beings, they're capable of very decent things: love, loyalty. When time is running out, they don't care about possessions or status. They want to put things right if they've done wrong.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
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There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.
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