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The Left Hand of Darkness

Book by Ursula K. Le Guin · 4 quotes · The Left Hand Of Darkness, Ifs, Left Hand

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The Left Hand of Darkness Quotes

“And I saw then again, and for good, what I had always been afraid to see, and had pretended not to see in him: that he was a woman as well as a man. Any need to explain the sources of that fear vanished with the fear; what I was left with was, at last, acceptance of him as he was. Until then I had rejected him, refused him his own reality. He had been quite right to say that he, the only person on Gethen who trusted me, was the own Gethenian I distrusted. For he was the only one who had entirely accepted me as a human being: who had liked me personally and given me entire personal loyalty, and who therefore had demanded of me an equal degree of recognition, of acceptance. I had not been willing to give it. I had been afraid to give it. I had not wanted to give my trust, my friendship to a man who was a woman, a woman who was a man.”

FearFriendshipTrustMoralityReciprocitySexes
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“He loved his country very dearly, sir, but he did not serve it, or you. He served the master I serve.' 'The Ekumen?' said Argaven, startled. 'No. Mankind.' As I spoke I did not know if what I said was true. True in part; an aspect of the truth. It would be no less true to say that Estraven’s acts had risen out of pure personal loyalty, a sense of responsibility and friendship towards one single human being, myself. Nor would that be the whole truth.”

FriendshipResponsibilityDutyHumanismLoyaltyPatriotism
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“I don’t mean to be unjust, Estraven-“ “Yet you are. It is strange. I am the only man in all Gethen that has trusted you entirely, and I am the only man in Gethen that you have refused to trust.” He put his head in his hands. He said at last, “I’m sorry, Estraven.” It was both apology and admission. “The fact is,” I said, “that you’re unable, or unwilling, to believe in the fact that I believe in you.”

FriendshipTrustIrony
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