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Enlightenment Quotes

Browse 3092 quotes about Enlightenment.

Enlightenment Quotes

“Often in history we see that religion, which was meant to raise us and make us better and nobler, has made people behave like beasts. Instead of bringing enlightenment of them, it has often tried to keep them in the dark; instead of broadening their minds, it has frequently made them narrow-minded and intolerant of others.”

People Mind Made Religion Dark Enlightenment Raises Behave Beast Narrow-minded

Book:India's quest: being letters on Indian history from 'Glimpses of world history.'

Source: India's quest: being letters on Indian history from 'Glimpses of world history.'

“I think the Enlightenment is leading us into a dark hole, really.”

Thinking Dark Enlightenment Holes

Author:David Hockney

“The great intellectual tradition that comes down to us from the past was never interrupted or lost through such trifles as the sack of Rome, the triumph of Attila, or all the barbarian invasions of the Dark Ages. It was lost after the introduction of printing, the discovery of America, the founding of the Royal Society, and all the enlightenment of the Renaissance and the modern world. It was there, if anywhere, that there was lost or impatiently snapped the long thin delicate thread that had descended from distant antiquity; the thread of that unusual human hobby: the habit of thinking.”

“In a post 9/11 world, in which the uncritical essentializing of people from the "Third-World" has been legitimized; Iraq and Afghanistan have been dehumanized in an attempt to disseminate enlightenment in those "dark" regions; the discourse of "honor killings" is prevalent in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan and has carved a niche in Western academic discourse as another instance of the incorrigible bestiality of the Orient.”

“There's a strong nativist tradition - saying, "we have to protect ourselves" - that comes from the founding of the country. If you read Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the leading figures of the Enlightenment in the United States and the most distinguished representative of the movement here, he actually advised that the newly founded republic should block Germans and Swedes because they were too "swarthy" - dark.”

Ifs Should Country States Strong Dark United United States Figures Movement Protect Enlightenment Tradition Block Republic Representatives Founding Distinguished Franklin

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I think there is going to be a large paradigm shift in a few years, and it could either be to a new age of enlightenment and unity and we'll be raised to a new level of consciousness, or it could be a return to a dark age of kings and mass, open oppression followed by a die-off of human culture.”

Thinking Age Culture Dark Consciousness Enlightenment Unity Oppression New Age Paradigm Dark Ages Paradigm Shift

Author:Dan Deacon

“Not every sky will be blue and not every day is springtime. So on the spiritual path a person learns to find this kind of happiness without needing nice things to happen on the outside. Rather, you find happiness by being who you really are. This isn't mystical. Young children are happy being who they are. The trick is to regain such a state when you are grown and have seen the light and dark sides of life.”

Source: Spiritual Solutions: Answers to Life's Greatest Challenges

“Enlightenment is scary. Sometimes things look better in the dark.”

Looks Sometimes Dark Enlightenment Scary

Book:How They Met and Other Stories

Source: How They Met and Other Stories

“Seeing the Way is like going into a dark room with a torch; the darkness instantly departs, while the light alone remains. When the Way is attained and the truth is seen, ignorance vanishes and enlightenment abides forever.”

Way Light Dark Rooms Darkness Forever Meditation Seeing Ignorance Truth Is Enlightenment Remains Torches Dark Room

Author:Gautama Buddha