They don't ask much of you. They only want you to hate the things you love and to love the things you despise.
Boris PasternakRead
In every generation there has to be some fool who will speak the truth as he sees it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Truth can often be uncomfortable, and it takes courage to voice it. Every generation needs someone to challenge the status quo.
This quote by Boris Pasternak highlights the essential role of truth-tellers in society, suggesting that each generation inevitably produces individuals who are willing to speak out against falsehoods, regardless of the personal cost. It emphasizes that speaking the truth is a courageous act, often met with resistance and misunderstanding, yet it is necessary for progress and enlightenment.
Themes
TruthCourageSocietyWisdomSpeak Up
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on honesty in leadership, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of truthfulness.
More from Boris Pasternak
All quotes βEven so, one step from my grave, I believe that cruelty, spite, The powers of darkness will in time, Be crushed by the spirit of light.
Boris PasternakRead
He is her glory. Any woman could say it. For every one of them, God is in her child. Mothers of great men must have been familiar with this feeling, but then, all women are mothers of great men -- it isn't their fault if life disappoints them later.
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Our evenings are farewells. Our parties are testaments. So that the secret stream of suffering. May warm the cold of life.
Boris PasternakRead
The most extraordinary discoveries are made when the artist is overwhelmed by what he has to say.
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Oh, how one wishes sometimes to escape from the meaningless dullness of human eloquence, from all those sublime phrases, to take refuge in nature, apparently so inarticulate, or in the wordlessness of long, grinding labor, of sound sleep, of true music, or of a human understanding rendered speechless by emotion!
Boris PasternakRead
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We need to look at truth. We need to look at justice, and we need to look at righteousness. And let that be our guide going forward.
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Never consider whether you are of use; but ever consider that you are not your own but His.
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