A man is never so truly and intensely himself as when he is most possessed by God. It is impossible to say where, in the spiritual life, the human will leaves off and divine grace begins.
William Ralph IngeRead
A nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and by common hatred of its neighbours.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nations often define themselves through myths about their past and shared animosity towards others.
This quote by William Ralph Inge suggests that the concept of a nation is often constructed through a collective belief in a shared history that may not be entirely factual, accompanied by a common disdain for neighboring nations. It implies that national identity can be built on illusions and conflicts, indicating that unity may stem not only from pride in heritage, but also from the negative comparisons with others.
Themes
NationSocietyAncestryHatredDelusion
In practice
Example use cases
In a history class discussing the impact of nationalism on global events.
More from William Ralph Inge
All quotes βDon't get up from the feast of life without paying for your share of it.
William Ralph IngeRead
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.
William Ralph IngeRead
Deliberate cruelty to our defenceless and beautiful little cousins is surely one of the meanest and most detestable vices of which a human being can be guilty.
William Ralph IngeRead
The enemies of freedom do not argue; they shout and they shoot.
William Ralph IngeRead
Bereavement is the deepest initiation into the mysteries of human life, an initiation more searching and profound than even happy love.
William Ralph IngeRead
Similar quotes
And now each night, I count the stars. And each night I get the same number. And when the stars won't come to be counted, I count the holes they leave.
Amiri BarakaRead
It receives you when you come and dismisses you when you go.
Franz KafkaRead
Isaiah was so attuned to God, because of the great crisis he had just endured, that the call of God penetrated his soul. The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says. But to be brought to the place where we can hear the call of God is to be profoundly changed.
Oswald ChambersRead
Life is a long preparation for something that never happens.
William Butler YeatsRead
Remain faithful to the earth, my brothers, with the power of your virtue. Let your gift-giving love and your knowledge serve the meaning of the earth. Thus I beg and beseech you. Do not let them fly away from earthly things and beat with their wings against eternal walls. Alas, there has always been so much virtue that has flown away. Lead back to the earth the virtue that flew away, as I doβback to the body, back to life, that it may give the earth a meaning, a human meaning.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Look in the mirror, and don't be tempted to equate transient domination with either intrinsic superiority or prospects for extended survival.
Stephen Jay GouldRead