My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
Life cannot find reasons to sustain it, cannot be a source of decent natural regard, unless each of us resolves to breathe such qualities into it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life's value emerges from our conscious efforts to infuse it with meaning and quality.
This quote by Frank Herbert suggests that life alone does not possess inherent meaning or worth; instead, it is the responsibility of each individual to actively infuse their existence with qualities that enhance its value. By making a conscious decision to embody and promote positive attributes, we contribute to the richness of our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Themes
LifeMeaningQualityConsciousnessResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can serve as a reminder during a motivational speech about personal growth.
More from Frank Herbert
All quotes βIf you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
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Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
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To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
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Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
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It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
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