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Quote by Pankaj Mishra

“I think excessive rationality can be very dangerous. Certainly the kind of rationality we've seen in the last hundred years, and still see on a daily basis when Madeleine Albright says that it's all right, we have to live with the idea of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children dying because it contains Saddam Hussein.”

Author

Pankaj Mishra

Pankaj Mishra is an Indian-born British essayist and historian, recognized for his insightful and critical essays on history, politics, and culture. Born in 1969, he has gained attention for his exploration of the complexities of modernity and its effects on the world. more

“Buddhism doesn't really have much time for political mass-movements. We are so trained to think of politics in terms of acting collectively, acting as part of mass-movements, that it's become hard for us to imagine a form of politics that is based on a high degree of introspection and self-examination.”

Thinking Self Hard Form Political Term Acting Imagine Movement Buddhism Degrees Mass Introspection Examination Self-examination

Author:Pankaj Mishra

“There have been many instances of people combining the political life with the spiritual life, a life of constant self-examination. Gandhi was a great example of that.”

People Has Beens Self Spiritual Political Example Constant Instance Spiritual Life Examination Combining Political Life Self-examination

Author:Pankaj Mishra

“Gandhi saw how people have to re-think their own individuality before engaging in political activity. Otherwise they're just playing the game that the adversary has set out.”

People Thinking Political Games Saws Activity Individuality Engaging Adversaries

Author:Pankaj Mishra

“You have to be able to decide, 'Well no, I'm not going to be violent, I'm going to suppress that impulse; I'm not going to be greedy.' Unless you're able to do that you're stuck with adversarial politics that leads nowhere and creates ever greater violence.”

Wells Able Greater Violence Stuck Violent Impulse Greedy

Author:Pankaj Mishra