You can't quantify human pain the way you can measure out sugar. Death comes one individual at a time.
Yann MartelRead
At moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thinking, to entertain thoughts that span the universe, that capture both thunder and tinkle, thick and thin, the near and the far.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of expansive thinking during moments of awe and wonder.
Yann Martel's quote highlights the transformative power of moments that inspire us, suggesting that when we are in a state of wonder, we are more capable of transcending ordinary thoughts. It encourages us to embrace a broader perspective that encompasses both profound and subtle experiences, allowing for a richer understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Themes
WonderThinkingPerspectiveUniverseAwe
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech about creativity in education.
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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