“The sunlights differ, but there is only one darkness.”

—  Ursula K. Le Guin, Hainish Cycle

Source: Hainish Cycle, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapter 13

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Ursula K. Le Guin photo
Ursula K. Le Guin292
American writer 1929–2018

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No one is seen in deserted hills,
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“I was in too much haste, and now have no time left. I traded all the sunlight and the cities and the distant lands for a handful of power, for a shadow, for the dark.”

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“Truth is one; only It is called by different names.”

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Context: Truth is one; only It is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one ghat the Hindus take water in jars and call it "jal". From another ghat the Mussalmāns take water in leather bags and call it "pāni". From a third the Christians take the same thing and call it "water". Suppose someone says that the thing is not "jal" but "pāni", or that it is not "pāni" but "water", or that it is not "water" but "jal", It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.

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