“There is an optical illusion about every person we meet.”

Source: Essays and Lectures

Last update May 15, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There is an optical illusion about every person we meet." by Ralph Waldo Emerson?
Ralph Waldo Emerson photo
Ralph Waldo Emerson 727
American philosopher, essayist, and poet 1803–1882

Related quotes

Jodi Picoult photo
Joyce Carol Oates photo
Albert Einstein photo

“Our separation from each other is an optical illusion.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
Gianni Sarcone photo

“The greatest optical illusion of all is to believe that an image has only one interpretation.”

Gianni Sarcone (1962) Italian author, artist, designer, and researcher in visual perception and cognitive psychology

Curiopticals (2009).

Mary Midgley photo
Marilyn Ferguson photo

“Human beings have a kind of optical illusion, Einstein once said. We think ourselves separate rather than part of the whole. This imprisons our affection to those few nearest us.”

Marilyn Ferguson (1938–2008) American writer

The Aquarian Conspiracy (1980), Chapter Twelve, Human Connections: Relationships Changing

Haruki Murakami photo
Hafsat Abiola photo

“Unlike the small community, where every person lives in the illusion of having the same ideals, beliefs, and values as everyone else, in the larger context of plural communities — be it in country, continent, or globe — we live in the illusion of absolute difference.”

Hafsat Abiola (1974) Nigerian human rights, civil rights and democracy activist

Architects of Peace (2000)
Context: Unlike the small community, where every person lives in the illusion of having the same ideals, beliefs, and values as everyone else, in the larger context of plural communities — be it in country, continent, or globe — we live in the illusion of absolute difference. So, fearing the possibility that the interaction will change us, we magnify the threat involved in engaging with that which differs from us. Change is stressful, and costly, because it requires learning to navigate the unfamiliar. In the end, you cannot work with anyone who is different, and problems that could be resolved if we allowed everyone to contribute the best of themselves begin to look intractable.

Related topics