It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
The mass of mankind is divided into two classes, the Sancho Panza's who have a sense for reality, but no ideals, and the Don Quixote's with a sense for ideals, but mad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote delineates two types of people: those grounded in reality without ambition and those driven by ideals but lacking practical sense.
George Santayana's quote suggests a dichotomy in human nature, where individuals can be categorized into two classes: those like Sancho Panza, who represent realism and practicality but lack lofty ideals, and those like Don Quixote, who embody noble aspirations but may be disconnected from reality. This highlights the tension between realism and idealism, urging us to seek a balance between the two to navigate life effectively.
Themes
RealityIdealsSancho PanzaDon QuixotePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about balancing ambition and practicality, this quote could be used to illustrate the different approaches people take in life.
More from George Santayana
All quotes →The working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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