...Writings can be stolen, or changed, or used for evil purposes. But isn't the risk worth taking? The more people who share knowledge, the greater safeguard for it. Isn't there more danger in ignorance than knowledge?
Lloyd AlexanderRead
Llonio said life was a net for luck; to Hevydd the Smith life was a forge; and to Dwyvach the Weaver-Woman a loom. They spoke truly, for it is all of these. But you,' Taran said, his eyes meeting the potter's, 'you have shown me life is one thing more. It is clay to be shaped, as raw clay on a potter's wheel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life can be seen from different perspectives, and ultimately it is something we can shape and create.
In this quote, Taran reflects on the various metaphors proposed by others about life, highlighting how it can be viewed as a net for luck, a forge, or a loom. However, he comes to realize that life is also like raw clay, suggesting that individuals have the power to mold their own destinies and experiences through their choices and actions.
Themes
LifeCreationDestinyMoldingPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might use this quote to illustrate how we can shape our own lives.
More from Lloyd Alexander
All quotes →Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone. Once you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.
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Perhaps one reason we are fascinated by cats is because such a small animal can contain so much independence, dignity, and freedom of spirit. Unlike the dog, the cat's personality is never bet on a human's. He demands acceptance on his own terms.
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We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.
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In whatever guise - our own daily nightmares of war, intolerance, inhumanity or the struggles of an Assistant Pig-Keeper against the Lord of Death - the problems are agonizingly familiar. And an openness to compassion, love, and mercy is as essential to us here and now as it is to any inhabitant of an imaginary kingdom.
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