The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
To be desired is perhaps the closest anybody in this life can reach to feeling immortal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Desire and the wish to be desired can give a sense of immortality and significance in life.
In this quote, John Berger reflects on the profound connection between desire and the human experience of existence. The idea of being desired suggests a lasting impact on others, as it creates a sense of relevance that transcends time, making individuals feel as if they have achieved a form of immortality through the love and affection they receive from others. Thus, the quote captures the essence of human connection and the powerful impact it can have on our perception of life and legacy.
Themes
DesireImmortalityHuman ConnectionLoveSignificance
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the impact of relationships during a psychology seminar.
More from John Berger
All quotes βUnlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
John BergerRead
We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
John BergerRead
The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
John BergerRead
Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
John BergerRead
Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
John BergerRead
Similar quotes
America is not just a democracy, it represents a certain culture of competitive mobility and personality aspirations, politics is not merely a clash of interests, but a clash of dreams.
David BrooksRead
How does it feel, how does it feel to be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.
Bob DylanRead
We should refrain from anything that seems to be a final judgment of any person...the Lord alone has the capacity to judge...And, in all of this we must remember the command to forgive.
Dallin H. OaksRead
When I began my work on how morality varies across the political spectrum, there was a partisan, manipulative element to it. I wanted to help the Democrats win.
Jonathan HaidtRead
Migration gives a blank cheque to put anything you don't feel like addressing in the memory hold. No neighbours can go against the monster narrative of your family.
Junot DiazRead
Law is the highest reason implanted in Nature, which commands what ought to be done and forbids the opposite.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead