Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
Paul TillichRead
Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the contrasting emotions associated with being alone, distinguishing between loneliness and solitude.
Paul Tillich emphasizes the dual nature of being alone through language, suggesting that while 'loneliness' conveys a sense of pain and isolation, 'solitude' reflects a deeper appreciation for the self and personal space. This differentiation encourages a nuanced understanding of solitude as a potentially positive experience rather than merely a negative one.
Themes
LonelinessSolitudeLanguagePainGlory
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, I might use this quote to illustrate the complexity of being alone.
More from Paul Tillich
All quotes →Cruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
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He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
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The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.
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The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
Paul TillichRead
Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
Paul TillichRead
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