The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883), XIX Philosophical Maxims. Morals. Polemics and Speculations.
Context: Blind ignorance misleads us thus and delights with the results of lascivious joys. Because it does not know the true light. Because it does not know what is the true light. Vain splendour takes from us the power of being.... behold! for its vain splendour we go into the fire, thus blind ignorance does mislead us. That is, blind ignorance so misleads us that... O! wretched mortals, open your eyes.
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883), XIX Philosophical Maxims. Morals. Polemics and Speculations.
“There are poisons that blind you, and poisons that open your eyes.”
Here's the key: You know you're vulnerable. No other animal knows that. You know what hurts you, because you're vulnerable. And now that you know what hurts you, you can figure out what hurts someone else. And as soon as you know what can hurt someone as, and you can use that, then you have the knowledge of good and evil. Well it's a pretty good trick that the snake pulled because it doesn't seem like the thing that we would have exactly wanted if we knew what the consequence was going to be. As soon as a human being is self conscious and aware of his nakedness, then he has the capacity for evil. That's introduced into the world right at that point."
Concepts
“O! immodest mortal! Your destiny is the joy of watching the evershifting battle!”
S. Rajasekar, N.Athavan, " Ludwig Edward Boltzmann http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0609047" (7 September 2006), arXiv:physics/0609047v1 [physics.hist-ph]
Attributed
“O happy race of mortals,
if your hearts are ruled
as is the universe, by Love!”
O felix hominum genus,
si uestros animos amor
quo caelum regitur regat!
Poem VIII, lines 28-30; translation by W. V. Cooper
Alternate translation:
: How happy is mankind
if the love that orders the stars above
rules, too, in your hearts.
The Consolation of Philosophy · De Consolatione Philosophiae, Book II
“Forgiveness does not require us to close our eyes but rather to truly open them.”
Source: The Gift
“Open your eyes, train your ears, use your head. If a mind you have, then use it while you can.”
Source: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
“My wounds are open
my eyes gone blind
these filthy lies
I can not hideǃ”
