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Humanism Quotes

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Humanism Quotes

“Perhaps it is this attitude, this mental turning away, or perhaps the combination of all these responses to calamity brought upon others, that one of Saul Bellow's characters, Artur Sammler, a survivor of the shooting pits in Poland, has in mind when he says: 'I know now that humankind marks certain people for death. Against them there shuts a door”

“Mr. Babbitt is a stout upholder of tradition and continuity, and he knows, with all his immense and encyclopaedic information, that the Christian religion is an essential part of the history of our race. Humanism and religion are thus, as historical facts, by no means parallel; humanism has been sporadic, but Christianity continuous. It is quite irrelevant to conjecture the possible development of the European races without Christianity — to imagine, that is, a tradition of humanism equivalent to the actual tradition of Christianity. For all we can say is that we should have been very different creatures, whether better or worse. Our problem being to form the future, we can only form it on the materials of the past; we must use our heredity, instead of denying it. The religious habits of the race are still very strong, in all places, at all times, and for all people. There is no humanistic habit: humanism is, I think, merely the state of mind of a few persons in a few places at a few times. To exist at all, it is dependent upon some other attitude, for it is essentially critical — I would even say parasitical. It has been, and can still be, of great value; but it will never provide showers of partridges or abundance of manna for the chosen peoples.”

“I admit that all humanists — as humanists — have been individualists. As humanists, they have had nothing to offer to the mob. But they have usually left a place, not only for the mob, but (what is more important) for the mob part of the mind in themselves. Mr. Babbitt is too rigorous and conscientious a Protestant to do that: hence there seems to be a gap between his own individualism (and indeed intellectualism, beyond a certain point, must be individualistic) and his genuine desire to offer something which will be useful to the American nation primarily and to civilization itself. But the historical humanist, as I understand him, halts at a certain point and admits that the reason will go no farther, and that it cannot feed on honey and locusts. Humanism is either an alternative to religion, or is ancillary to it. To my mind, it always flourishes most when religion has been strong; and if you find examples of humanism which are anti-religious, or at least in opposition to the religious faith of the place and time, then such humanism is purely destructive, for it has never found anything to replace what it destroyed. Any religion, of course, is for ever in danger of petrifaction into mere ritual and habit, though ritual and habit be essential to religion. It is only renewed and refreshed by an awakening of feeling and fresh devotion, or by the critical reason. The latter may be the part of the humanist. But if so, then the function of humanism, though necessary, is secondary. You cannot make humanism itself into a religion.”

“Citizenry is the problem, Citizenry is the answer. When citizenry decides on peace, Albeit reluctant, world leaders wither. I know no constitution but conscience, I know no tradition but compassion. Belonging is my Bible, kindness is my Quran - The living need no handbook to right and wrong. Recognition or no recognition, Human never forgets to be human. The entire Abhijit Naskar legacy was created without any recognition. Then why did I continue you ask, Because I never wrote for admiration. I write to provide shelter to all, And electrify their veins into action. Whining might suit the spineless, Bravehearts are ever vigilant in duty. Once you make people your life's cause, Nothing can diminish your tenacity.”

“Recognition or no recognition, Human never forgets to be human. The entire Abhijit Naskar legacy was created without any recognition. Then why did I continue you ask, Because I never wrote for admiration. I write to provide shelter to all, And electrify their veins into action.”

“World Gospel (The Sonnet) So long as there is selfishness, There is no Christmas. So long as there is occupation, There is no Hanukkah. So long as there is cruelty, There is no Ramadan. Till we end militant atheism, There is no Humanism. Till you conquer superstition, There is no Diwali. So long as there is division, There is no Vaisakhi. So long as there is inequality, There is no Fourth of July. Till we abolish hate from earth, At half mast all flags must fly.”

“It's not enough to outgrow the divisions in culture, we must also outgrow the divisions in intellect. For example, if you think theology is all about the supernatural, it doesn't mean the entire field of theology is nonsense, it just means, you are studying the wrong kind of theology – you are stuck with an archaic notion of theology. Likewise, if you think science is all about cold facts and figures, then you are studying the wrong kind of science – you are stuck with an archaic notion of science. Till you develop a common humane ground underneath your feet, all the facts and all the faith won't do you any good.”

“They ask me, why aren't you still properly known in the mainstream! Well, the Himalayas have been standing for 40 million years, yet it's only in the last century that humans first climbed Everest. They are oblivious of me, because once you get addicted to the transcendental terrains of the Himalayas, all your superficial little molehills will crumble to dust.”

“During the first year I tried to write like an intellectual, until I realized, that's not me. So I abandoned the intellectual facade, and became unapologetically human in my writing, and I haven't looked back since. The tone of 'In Search of Divinity' was so different that I even thought of publishing by a pseudonym. Today I am glad that I did not change my name, for the different new tone was the true voice of mine. Monkey see, monkey imitate - Human challenge is to find yourself. Once you do, that's when you start to glow, Synthetic sparklers only drag you to descent.”

“The problem lies in the hubris of the designing parents, in their drive to master the mystery of birth. Even if this disposition does not make parents tyrants to their children, it disfigures the relation between parent and child, and deprives the parent of the humility and enlarged human sympathies that an openness to the unbidden can cultivate.”

“There is a definite linkage between the Humanist legacy and the vernacular movement, in the sense that those scholars who did most to preserve the prestige of Buchanan as a classic text for Latin classes in Scotland were also the same men who did most to encourage the idea of the Scottish tongue as being as suitable as a vehicle for classic poetry as any other modern language.”

“On the ferry back from Büyükada the setting sun’s soft rays scarcely light the faces of my fellow weary travellers sons joke with their fathers daughters sleep on mothers’ laps friends play faded playing cards with an envelope for the missing jack here a toddler’s hand under his chin like a scholar there a family roars with laughter eating sunflower seeds from a pink plastic bag we breathe the crisp marmara sea together suddenly i loved you despite your carnival of violence i love you Humanity! with all your many ifs and your many thens”

“I long to get away, sometimes, from my own generation. I don't care whether it's into the past, or into the future, so long as it's away from the patter into simple realities again. I hate being a slave to my own age. ... We are so afraid of sentimentality that we're losing the power of human feeling. Our writers today understand all the brutalities and cynicisms; but how many of them understand the simple human affections that hold decent human beings together and make the world worth living in?”

“Letter to My Soldiers I am only the beginning - the beginning of a new kind of humans - humans who belong to not one culture, but many cultures - humans who speak not one language, but many languages - humans who study scriptures and science with equal enthusiasm, yet pledge allegiance to neither, and know how to use both in the benefit of humanity - humans who aim for neither belief nor disbelief, but warmth and understanding - humans who are more concerned with the real hard problem of inhumanity, than the outdated hard problem of consciousness - humans who sacrifice their life treating the real hard question of hate, rather than the mythical hard question of god. I am only the beginning - the first spark, if you may - the best are yet to come.”

“Saying, you've explored my work, after spending an evening scrolling through a few quotes, is like saying, you've climbed Mount Everest, after spending an evening scrolling through pictures of the Himalayas.”

“How does the bird come and go (Sufi Scientist Sonnet, 1300) How does the bird come and go, In and out of this bodily cage! So long as you nourish it with love, Who cares about some mythical fate! Cages are born of dust, In dust cages will wither. Yet you sob in love of cage, Oblivious to the endangered flier! With all knowledge of cosmic building blocks, How come you still cannot put an end to war! With all your high and mighty technocracy, How come children still starve and suffer! I say, put your intellect aside for a change, First unfold a human heart outside the cage. Otherwise, your posterboys of superficiality, Will turn this world into a wreck of cages.”