You can't quantify human pain the way you can measure out sugar. Death comes one individual at a time.
Yann MartelRead
To my mind, faith is like being in the sun. When you are in the sun, can you avoid creating a shadow? Can you shake that area of darkness that clings to you, always shaped like you, as if constantly to remind you of yourself? You can’t. This shadow is doubt. And it goes wherever you go as long as you stay in the sun. And who wouldn’t want to be in the sun?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Faith brings light and positivity, but doubt is an unavoidable shadow that accompanies us.
In this quote, Yann Martel explores the relationship between faith and doubt, suggesting that faith is akin to being in the sun, which illuminates life and fosters positivity. However, he acknowledges that just as one cannot escape their shadow while in the sun, doubt is a constant presence that follows us, reminding us of our uncertainties even in our most optimistic moments. This duality illustrates the complexity of human belief, emphasizing that while faith can illuminate our path, doubt is an inherent aspect of our journey.
Themes
FaithDoubtLightShadowPhilosophySelfPositivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one could use this quote to illustrate the balance between faith and doubt.
More from Yann Martel
All quotes →Come aboard if your destination is oblivion- it should be our next stop. We can sit together. You can have the window seat if you want. But it's a sad view.
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Fiction and nonfiction are not so easily divided. Fiction may not be real, but it's true; it goes beyond the garland of facts to get to emotional and psychological truths.
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The moon was a sharply defined crescent and the sky was perfectly clear. The stars shone with such fierce, contained brilliance that it seemed absurd to call the night dark.
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I thought they were helping me. I was so full of trust in them that I felt grateful as they carried me in the air. Only when they threw me overboard did I begin to have doubts.
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Art is a gift: you create and then you give away. How readers receive that gift is their business. If they hate it, that’s their response to it. Others respond by liking it. Either way, that is their interaction with the book, which is no longer mine.
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