Like the collector, the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it appears to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.
Susan SontagRead
To paraphrase several sages: Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
You cannot engage in conflict and maintain thoughtful consideration simultaneously.
This quote by Susan Sontag emphasizes the inherent conflict between active thought and aggressive action. It suggests that when we are consumed by anger or conflict, our capacity for contemplation and understanding diminishes, leading to a cycle of violence rather than resolution. This highlights the importance of reflection and thoughtful dialogue as opposing forces to aggression.
Themes
ThoughtfulnessConflictUnderstandingAggressionDialogue
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on conflict resolution at a community meeting.
More from Susan Sontag
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Gide and I have attained such perfect intellectual communion that I experience the appropriate labor pains for every thought he gives birth to!
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Volume depends precisely on the writer's having been able to sit in a room every day, year after year, alone.
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In NY sensuality completely turns into sexuality - no objects for the senses to respond to, no beautiful river, houses, people. Awful smells of the street, and dirt... Nothing except eating, if that, and the frenzy of the bed.
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It hurts to love. It's like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.
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