And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for that is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. Surely I can understand this, and I hate it and I will fight against it to preserve the one thing that separates us from the uncreative beasts. If the glory can be killed, we are lost.
John Steinbeck, East of Eden (1952)
Image: Caspar David Friedrich, found here
10 thoughts on “Words and Pictures: This I would fight for”
“If the glory can be killed, we are lost.” Freethinkers, dissidents, any non-conformists — they’re all threats to those who want to control; so many of us who fall into the categories where we want to explore beyond the boundaries, we must resist any attempts to build walls higher and hem us in. An excellent quote, Lory.
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
“If the glory can be killed, we are lost.” Freethinkers, dissidents, any non-conformists — they’re all threats to those who want to control; so many of us who fall into the categories where we want to explore beyond the boundaries, we must resist any attempts to build walls higher and hem us in. An excellent quote, Lory.
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It certainly struck me as an important message for today.
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Wonderful, wonderful quote, friend.
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Thank you, Mr. Steinbeck.
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Oh my, why is everything from the past so meaningful right now?
On the other hand, thoughts like this give me comfort that we will come out ok as we have before….
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We do go on, in spite of everything, don’t we?
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A very apropos quote for the current climate, and an interesting marriage of text and painting. Thank you for sharing them, Lory!
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There was lots in this book that inspired me. I’ll need to do a full review at some point.
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I love this painting. I think I first saw it in an episode of Good Behavior weirdly enough. The quote is very relevant!
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It’s been used in many places, but I thought it merited another look. 🙂 Plus I just couldn’t think of anything better for this quote.
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