“Thinking involves not only the flow of thoughts, but their arrest as well.”
Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) German literary critic, philosopher and social critic (1892-1940)
Source: (1940), XVII
Related quotes
“Whatever is well conceived is clearly said,
And the words to say it flow with ease.”
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636–1711) French poet and critic
Ce que l'on conçoit bien s'énonce clairement,
Et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisément.
Canto I, l. 153
The Art of Poetry (1674)
Eric Hoffer book The True Believer
Section 85
The True Believer (1951), Part Three: United Action and Self-Sacrifice
Harry V. Jaffa (1918–2015) American historian and collegiate professor
2000s, The Real Abraham Lincoln: A Debate (2002), The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
“God is a flowing well which constantly may pour
Into his whole Creation, and yet be as before.”
Angelus Silesius (1624–1677) German writer
The Cherubinic Wanderer
“Once, I remember well, my life was a feast where all hearts opened and all wines flowed.”
Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891) French Decadent and Symbolist poet
Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient. <br class="br"> Une Saison en Enfer http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/poesies/Season.html (A Season in Hell) (1873)
Leon Trotsky book My Life
Foreword
My Life (1930)
Context: I know well enough, from my own experience, the historical ebb and flow. They are governed by their own laws. Mere impatience will not expedite their change. I have grown accustomed to viewing the historical perspective not from the stand point of my personal fate. To understand the causal sequence of events and to find somewhere in the sequence one's own place – that is the first duty of a revolutionary. And at the same time, it is the greatest personal satisfaction possible for a man who does not limit his tasks to the present day.
“Is it better to go with the flow or let the flow go?”
Aidan Chambers book Postcards from No Man's Land
Source: Postcards from No Man's Land
