Quotes About Understanding

Thought is sequential, successive, one-dimensional, while the real world presents itself as a multidimensional, non-successive, simultaneous pattern of infinite richness and variety; and trying to make the one grasp the other is like trying to appreciate a beautiful landscape by looking through a narrow slit in a fence or trying to take in a Renoir painting by microscope alone.

Of all the definitions of "human" provided over the ages—from the "political animal" to the "symbolic animal"—probably the most accurate is the "role-taking animal," the capacity to see not only what one is oneself seeing but to put oneself in the shoes of an other and see the world as that other is seeing it.

Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. —ALBERT EINSTEIN

BELL HOOKS: "I'm so disturbed when my women students behave as though they can only read women, or black students behave as though they can only read blacks, or white students behave as though they can only identify with a white writer. I think the worst thing that can happen to us is to lose sight of the power of empathy and compassion." MAYA

So perhaps we can learn to value the differences between the male and female value spheres. Those differences, even according to the radical feminists, appear to be here for good—but we can learn to value them with more equal emphasis. How to do so is one of the things we might want to talk about.

What do you want?" and so on might be a few of the questions asked and responded to.

Our only hope lies in the power of our love, generosity, tolerance and understanding and our commitment to making the world a better place for all.

The power of a thing or an act is in the meaning and the understanding.

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below

Miracles are everywhere to be found when the priesthood is understood, its power is honored and used properly, and faith is exerted.

One who scorns the power of intuition will never rise above the ranks of journeyman calculator.

I seemed to be upon the verge of comprehension, without the power to comprehend as men, at time, find themselves upon the brink of rememberance, without being able, in the end, to remember.

The power of storytelling is exactly this: to bridge the gaps where everything else has crumbled.

The only trouble with this world today lies in our lack of understanding of the power of imagination.

Alcmaeon was the first to define the difference between man and animals, saying that man differs from the latter in the fact that he alone has the power of understanding.

Heart power is better than horsepower.

Base metals can be transmuted into gold by stars, and by intelligent beings who understand the processes that power stars, but by nothing else in the universe.

Ipsa scientia potestas est. (Knowledge itself is power.)

It is so easy to be confrontive without being informative; indignant without being intelligent; impulsive without being insightful.

To slight a single human being, is to slight those divine powers and thus to harm not only that being but with him, the whole world.

It's harder to empathize with those who appear to possess more power, status, or resources.

Knowledge gives power. In practice it is very simple. To control yourself, know yourself.

The world of learning is so broad, and the human soul is so limited in power!

Everything is shown up by being exposed to the light, and whatever is exposed to the light itself becomes light.