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Regarded in isolation, an idea may be quite insignificant, and venturesome in the extreme, but it may acquire importance from an idea which follows it; perhaps, in a certain collocation with other ideas, which may seem equally absurd, it may be capable of furnishing a very serviceable link.
Friedrich Schiller
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Ideas may seem insignificant alone but can gain importance through their relationships with other ideas.

Friedrich Schiller suggests that the significance of an idea is often contingent on its context and how it interacts with other ideas. He emphasizes that even what appears to be an absurd or venturesome idea can become meaningful when placed in a particular arrangement or combination with other thoughts, creating connections that enhance its value and utility.

Themes

IdeasContextSignificanceConnectionsPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

During a brainstorming session, you can use this quote to remind participants that even unconventional ideas may lead to valuable outcomes.

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Art is the daughter of freedom.
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There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.
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Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.
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While the womanly god demands our veneration, the godlike woman kindles our love; but while we allow ourselves to melt in the celestial loveliness, the celestial self-sufficiency holds us back in awe.
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As noble Art has survived noble nature, so too she marches ahead of it, fashioning and awakening by her inspiration. Before Truth sends her triumphant light into the depths of the heart, imagination catches its rays, and the peaks of humanity will be glowing when humid night still lingers in the valleys.
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Wise to resolve, patient to perform.
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