Jostein Gaarder Quotes - Page 3

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• For nature is good, an man is 'by nature' good; it is civilization which ruins him

  Jostein Gaarder

  Men, Civilization, Ruins

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• It was all too easy to make things up, it was like skating on thin ice, it was like doing dainty pirouettes on a brittle crust over water thousands of fathoms deep.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Skating On Thin Ice, Water, Pirouettes

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “The Ringmaster's Daughter”, p.15, Hachette UK

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• Kierkegaard also said that truth is `subjective`. By this he did not mean it doesn't matter what we think or believe. He meant that the really important truths are personal. Only these truths are `true for me`.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Believe, Mean, Thinking

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• We can't own each other's past. The questioin is whether we have a future together.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Past, Together, Futures Together

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• A lot of people experience the world with the same incredulity as when a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat.…We know that the world is not all sleight of hand and deception because we are in it, we are part of it. Actually we are the white rabbit being pulled out of the hat. The only difference beween us and the white rabbit is that the rabbit does not realize it is taking part in a magic trick.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Hands, White, Differences

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• A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part: it troubled him that he knew so little.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Reality, People, Important

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.66, Hachette UK

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• Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of them fall off, but others cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep in the snug softness, stuffing themselves with delicious food and drink. 'Ladies and Gentlemen,' they yell, 'we are floating in space!' But none of the people down there care.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Fall, Space, People

  "Sophie's World". Book by Jostein Gaarder, thequietus.com. 2010.

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• When we talked about Socrates, we saw how dangerous it could be to appeal to people's reason. With Jesus we see how dangerous it can be to demand unconditional forgiveness. Even in the world of today, we can see how mighty powers can come apart at the seams when confronted with simple demands for peace, love, food for the poor, and amnesty for the enemies of the state.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Jesus, Simple, People

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.140, Hachette UK

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• Maybe we can comprehend a flower or an insect, but we can never comprehend ourselves. Even less can we expect to comprehend the universe.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Flower, Insects, Universe

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• According to Kierkegaard, rather than searching for the Truth with a capital T, it is more important to find the kind of truths that are meaningful to the individual's life. It is important to find `the truth for me`.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Meaningful, Important, Kind

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.322, Hachette UK

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• I'm not just some butterfly for you to catch.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Butterfly

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• When we sense something, it is due to the movement of atoms in space. When I see the moon it is because "moon atoms" penetrate my eye.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Eye, Moon, Space

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.48, Hachette UK

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• The truth is that I feel totally helpless, or totally inconsolable, to be more honest. I’m not trying to hide it, but it’s something you’re not to worry about.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Fear, Worry, Trying

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “The Orange Girl”, p.19, Hachette UK

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• If there is a god, he is not only a wizard at leaving clues behind. More than anything, he's a master of concealment. And the world is not something that gives itself away. The heavens still keep their secrets. There is little gossip amongst the stars. But no one has forgotten the Big Bang yet. Since then, silence has reigned supreme, and every thing there is moving away. One can still come across a moon. Or a comet. Just don't expect friendly greetings. No visiting cards are printed in space.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Stars, Moving, Moon

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• Hegel said that `truth` is subjective, thus rejecting the existence of any `truth` above or beyond human reason. All knowledge is human knowledge.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Hegel, Truth Is, Reason

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• The soul yearns to fly home on the wings of love to the world of ideas. It longs to be freed from the chains of the body.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Home, Wings, Ideas

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• Philosophy is the opposite of fairy tales

  Jostein Gaarder

  Philosophy, Opposites, Fairy Tale

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• going only part of the way is not the same as going the wrong way

  Jostein Gaarder

  Way, Wrong Way

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.158, Hachette UK

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• But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their rules that actually distinguish one fairytale from the other. These rules never need to be understood. They only need to be followed. If not, what they promise won’t come true.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Promise, Needs, Fairytale

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “The Orange Girl”, p.41, Hachette UK

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• But she’d managed to find her way into our reality, perhaps because she had an important mission here, perhaps because she was here to save us from what people call the monotony of life.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Reality, People, Important

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “The Orange Girl”, p.21, Hachette UK

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• It takes billions of years to create a human being. And it takes only a few seconds to die.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Philosophical, Years, Billions

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• If we don't know where we are going, it can be helpful to know where we come from.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Where We Come, Helpful, Knows

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• History is one long chain of reflections. Hegel also indicated certain rules that apply for this chain of reflections. Anyone studying history in depth will observe that a thought is usually proposed on the basis of other, previously proposed thoughts. But as soon as one thought is proposed, it will be contradicted by another. A tension arises between these two opposite ways of thinking. But the tension is resolved by the proposal of a third thought which accommodates the best of both points of view. Hegel calls this a dialectic process

  Jostein Gaarder

  Reflection, Thinking, Views

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• But understanding will always require some effort. You probably wouldn't admire a friend who was good at everything if it cost her no effort.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Effort, Understanding, Cost

  Jostein Gaarder (2010). “Sophie's World”, p.43, Hachette UK

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• As long as we are children, we have the ability to experience things around us--but then we grow used to the world. To grow up is to get drunk on sensory experience.

  Jostein Gaarder

  Children, Growing Up, Long

  Jostein Gaarder (2003). “The Solitaire Mystery”, p.361, Macmillan

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