"There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot. "Then find it for yourself, sir. Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts." "Why can't we all move forward together?" "Because you're all different. You're not lemmings. Some must lead, and hope that the rest will follow." "Who leads?" "The men who must... driven men, compelled men." "Freak men." "You're all freaks, sir. But you always have been freaks. Life is a freak. That's its hope and glory."
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of finding personal meaning in life and accepting the individuality in our pursuits.
In this dialogue, the characters explore the notion that life should be about seeking deeper meaning rather than merely existing. The robot's response suggests that individuals have the power to discover their purpose and that life's richness comes from its inherent unpredictability and diversity. The idea that some individuals are destined to lead while others follow reflects the complexities of human nature and how ambition and drive shape our destinies.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one could quote this to inspire others to seek deeper meaning in their lives.
This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living and hard dying... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks... but nobody loved it.
Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts.
Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?
The man who meets with a failure attributes this failure rather to the ill will of another than to fate.
The true principle of government is this - make the system compleat in its structure; give a perfect proportion and balance to its parts; and the powers you give it will never affect your security.
All crime is a kind of disease and should be treated as such.
What makes earth feel like hell is our expectation that it should feel like heaven.
There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.
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