Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture.
Anthony BurgessRead
It may not be nice to be good, little 6655321. It may be horrible to be good. And when I say that to you I realize how self-contradictory that sounds. I know I shall have many sleepless nights about this. What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him? Deep and hard questions, little 6655321.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores the complexity of goodness and the moral choices individuals face.
In this quote, Anthony Burgess delves into the intricate nature of morality, questioning whether true goodness stems from an individual's free choice or is merely a result of external expectations. He suggests that the struggle between choosing good and bad is inherently tied to one's moral character, provoking profound thoughts about the essence of goodness and whether it's more virtuous to choose goodness freely than to have it imposed upon oneself.
Themes
MoralityChoiceGoodnessPhilosophySelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate about morality and choices.
More from Anthony Burgess
All quotes →There is a satisfactory boniness about grammar which the flesh of sheer vocabulary requires before it can become a vertebrate and walk the earth.
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Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.
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You needn't take it any further, sir. You've proved to me that all this ultraviolence and killing is wrong, wrong, and terribly wrong. I've learned me lesson, sir. I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise Bog! I'm cured!
Anthony BurgessRead
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