A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
And usually [the philosopher] philosophizes either in order to resign himself to life, or to seek some finality in it, or to distract himself and forget his griefs, or for pastime and amusement.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Philosophy serves various purposes for individuals, including coping with life's challenges and seeking meaning.
In this quote, Miguel De Unamuno suggests that people engage in philosophy for a variety of reasons, such as to come to terms with life's difficulties, to find a sense of purpose, or simply to entertain themselves. Philosophy can be a tool for self-reflection, distraction from grief, or a pursuit of knowledge and understanding in the quest for meaning in existence.
Themes
PhilosophyLifeMeaningReflectionExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on existentialism, I quoted this passage to illustrate the diverse motivations behind philosophical thought.
More from Miguel De Unamuno
All quotes →Suffering is the substance of life and the root of personality, for it is only suffering that makes us persons.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers in solitude.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it, let us fight against destiny, even without hope of victory.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
Spiritual Love is born of sorrow. . . . For men love one another with spiritual love only when they have suffered the same sorrow together, when through long days they have ploughed the stony ground buried beneath the common yoke of a common grief. It is then that they know one another and feel one another and feel with one another in their common anguish, and so they pity one another and love one another.
Miguel De UnamunoRead
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It is an item of faith that we are children of God; there is plenty of experience in us against it. The faith that surmounts this evidence and is able to warm itself at the fire of God's love, instead of having to steal love and self-acceptance from other sources, is actually the root of holiness: It is a fatal mistake to think of holiness as a possession which we have distinct from our faith... Faith is the very highest form of our dependence on God.
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A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people.
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