I have a different idea of a universal. It is of a universal rich with all that is particular, rich with all the particulars there are, the deepening of each particular, the coexistence of them all.
Aime CesaireRead
I am talking about societies drained of their essence, cultures trampled underfoot, institutions undermined, lands confiscated, religions smashed, magnificent artistic creations destroyed, extraordinary possibilities wiped out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the destruction of cultures and values by oppressive forces.
Aime Cesaire's quote poignantly addresses the deep loss experienced by societies when their core essence and cultural identities are systematically eroded. It highlights the grave consequences of oppression, including the dismantling of institutions, the confiscation of lands, the destruction of religions, and the obliteration of artistic expressions, leaving a void where extraordinary potential once thrived.
Themes
CultureOppressionLossIdentityArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on cultural preservation, one might say, 'As Aime Cesaire noted, we cannot allow our cultures to be trampled underfoot.'
More from Aime Cesaire
All quotes βA man screaming is not a dancing bear. Life is not a spectacle.
Aime CesaireRead
Africa, help me to go home, carry me like an aged child in your arms. Undress me and wash me. Strip me of all of these garments, strip me as a man strips off dreams when the dawn comes. . . .
Aime CesaireRead
It is no use painting the foot of the tree white, the strength of the bark cries out from beneath the paint.
Aime CesaireRead
Similar quotes
There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from trying to avoid pain.
R. D. LaingRead
So man's insanity is heaven's sense, and wandering from all mortal reason, man comes at last to that celestial thought, which, to reason, is absurd and frantic; and weal or woe, feels then uncompromised, indifferent as his God.
MobyRead
What is truly profound is thought to be stupid and trivial, or worse, boring, while what is actually stupid and trivial is thought to be profound. That is what it means to fly upside down.
Dallas WillardRead
I would simply not compromise on the fundamental rights of people.
Asma JahangirRead
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.
Bertrand RussellRead
He was a degenerate gambler. That is, a man who gambled simply to gamble and must lose. As a hero who goes to war must die. Show me a gambler and I'll show you a loser, show me a hero and I'll show you a corpse.
Mario PuzoRead