“And often enough, when we think we are protecting ourselves, we are struggling against our rescuer.”

— Marilynne Robinson , Gilead

Source: Gilead

Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "And often enough, when we think we are protecting ourselves, we are struggling against our rescuer." by Marilynne Robinson?

Marilynne Robinson photo

Marilynne Robinson 51

American novelist and essayist 1943

Related quotes

“It is very true that we ought to think of the happiness of others; but it is not often enough said that the best thing we can do for those who love us is to be happy ourselves.”

Alain (1868–1951) French philosopher

Happiness if Generous
Alain On Happiness (1928)

“We do not struggle for ourselves, nor for our race, not even for humanity.
We do not struggle for Earth, nor for ideas.”

Nikos Kazantzakis book The Saviors of God

The Saviors of God (1923)
Context: We do not struggle for ourselves, nor for our race, not even for humanity.
We do not struggle for Earth, nor for ideas. All these are the precious yet provisional stairs of our ascending God, and they crumble away as soon as he steps upon them in his ascent.
In the smallest lightning flash of our lives, we feel all of God treading upon us, and suddenly we understand: if we all desire it intensely, if we organize all the visible and invisible powers of earth and fling them upward, if we all battle together like fellow combatants eternally vigilant — then the Universe might possibly be saved.
It is not God who will save us — it is we who will save God, by battling, by creating, and by transmuting matter into spirit.

“I've often thought that there isn't any "I" at all; that we are simply the means of expression of something else; that when we think we are ourselves, we are simply the victims of a delusion.”

Aleister Crowley book Diary of a Drug Fiend

Source: Diary of a Drug Fiend

“We’re apes. We think we’re all sophisticated with our toaster ovens and designer footwear, but we’re just a bunch of finely ornamented apes. And because we are apes, we instinctually measure ourselves against others and vie for status. The question is not whether we evaluate ourselves against others; rather, the question is by what standard do we measure ourselves?”

Mark Manson (1984) American writer and blogger

Source: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016), Chapter 4, “The Value of Suffering” (pp. 77-78)

“We were against oppression, and then we elevated our struggle to demand our rights. We will go against all the dictators, and not only Saleh in Yemen, so we can spread peace.”

Tawakkol Karman (1979) Yemeni journalist, politician, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient

2010s, Democracy Now! interview (2011)

“This is the only path on which we can proceed with ease. It is the path to the freedom of our soul. Therefore, may we protect ourselves and give love to others. May we protect others as we would protect ourselves, love our neighbors as ourselves, and make all mankind our relatives, our brothers and sisters. May we make everyone our loved ones and help them become those who trust in God. May we all go together on this path as the followers of God, as the representatives of God, as the children of the one Father.”

Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (1900–1986) Sri Lankan Sufi leader

To Die Before Death: The Sufi Way of Life (1997)

“Struggle against capitalism must be also struggle against the 'we' who are not only against but also in capitalism. To criticise is to recognise that we are a divided self. To criticise society is to criticise our own complicity in the reproduction of that society.”

John Holloway book Change the World Without Taking Power

Change the World Without Taking Power (2002)

“When we are struggling against overwhelming odds, when we are pitting ourselves against the combined might of state apparatus and military power, we are sometimes subject to doubts — usually the doubts of those whose belief in the permanence of an existing order is absolute. It is amazing how many people still remain convinced that it is wise to accept the status quo.”

Aung San Suu Kyi (1945) State Counsellor of Myanmar and Leader of the National League for Democracy

Please Use Your Liberty to Promote Ours (1997)

“We are constantly haunted by the qualities of self-interest and that is why we struggle to refrain ourselves from making fools of our behaviours.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

“We do not struggle as working class, we struggle against being working class, against being classified.”

John Holloway book Change the World Without Taking Power

Change the World Without Taking Power (2002)

Related topics