Man is a special being, and if left to himself, in an isolated condition, would be one of the weakest creatures; but associated with his kind, he works wonders.
Daniel WebsterRead
Realization is not knowledge about the universe, but the living experience of the nature of the universe. Until we have such living experience, we remain dependent on examples, and subject to their limits.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True realization comes from lived experiences rather than mere knowledge.
This quote by Namkhai Norbu emphasizes that understanding the universe is rooted in direct experience rather than theoretical knowledge. Without personal experiences that illuminate the nature of existence, we are confined to learning from others, which can restrict our comprehension and limit our potential for growth and insight.
Themes
RealizationExperienceKnowledgeUniverseLimits
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy discussion about the nature of existence.
Similar quotes
For he who loves God without faith reflects on himself, while the person who loves God in faith reflects on God.
Soren KierkegaardRead
Actually, there is only one first question of government, and it is How should we live? or What kind of people do we want our citizens to be?
George WillRead
At night the sky was very near, sprawled in star smoke and gamma cataclysms, but she didn't see it the way she used to, as soul extension, dumb guttural wonder, a thing that lived outside language in the oldest part of her.
Don DelilloRead
There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
All this struggling and striving to make the world better is a great mistake. Not that it's wrong to try to improve the world if you know how but simply because struggling and striving are the worst possible ways to go about doing anything!
George Bernard ShawRead