It's easier for the former masters to put aside the masks that hid their humanity than for the former slaves to recognise the faces underneath. Or to trust that this is not a new mask these are wearing.
Nadine GordimerRead
The gap between the committed and the indifferent is a Sahara whose faint trails, followed by the mind's eye only, fade out in sand.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the vast difference between those who are dedicated and those who are indifferent.
Nadine Gordimer's quote highlights the stark contrast between commitment and indifference, comparing the indifferent to a barren desert where only the remnants of effort linger. The 'Sahara' symbolizes the emptiness and challenges faced by those who lack commitment, while the 'faint trails' suggest that the journeys of dedicated individuals may not always be visible but are nonetheless significant.
Themes
CommitmentIndifferenceDedicationEffortMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to encourage commitment in a team setting.
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Art defies defeat by its very existence, representing the celebration of life, in spite of all attempts to degrade and destroy it.
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If people would forget about utopia! When rationalism destroyed heaven and decided to set it up here on earth, that most terrible of all goals entered human ambition. It was clear there'd be no end to what people would be made to suffer for it.
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The caged eagle become a metaphor for all forms of isolation, the ultimate in imprisonment. A zoo is prison.
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