On rare occasions one does hear of a miraculous case of a married couple falling in love after marriage, but on close examination it will be found that it is a mere adjustment to the inevitable.
Emma GoldmanRead
Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight and who therefore induce the young manhood of the whole world to do the fighting for them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes human nature for being the catalyst of war, often driven by the cowardice of those in power.
Emma Goldman's quote reflects on the darker aspects of human nature, suggesting that many atrocities, especially wars, are instigated by those who lack the courage to confront their adversaries directly. Instead, they manipulate and exploit the young and vulnerable, using them as pawns in their selfish conflicts, revealing a profound commentary on ethics, responsibility, and the nature of power dynamics in society.
Themes
Human NatureWarCowardicePowerManipulation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the consequences of war in a conference on peace building.
More from Emma Goldman
All quotes →No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.
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To the indefinite, uncertain mind of the American radical the most contradictory ideas and methods are possible. The result is a sad chaos in the radical movement, a sort of intellectual hash, which has neither taste nor character.
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John Burroughs has stated that experimental study of animals in captivity is absolutely useless. Their character, their habits, their appetites undergo a complete transformation when torn from their soil in field and forest. With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities?
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Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination.
Emma GoldmanRead
If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction that never fails to lay stress on a plus and a minus.
Emma GoldmanRead
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