“Primitive man has lived twice: once in and for himself, and the second time for us, in our reconstruction.”

Plough, Sword, and Book: The Structure of Human History (1988)

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Ernest Gellner 32
Czech anthropologist, philosopher and sociologist 1925–1995

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“Love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere.”

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Context: Love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack the courage to reach out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it, even if it means hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness.
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