Monday, June 30, 2014

A QUOTE I OFTEN GET WRONG BUT FOUND PROFOUND WHEN I WAS YOUNG

"Human beings need flattery; otherwise they do not fulfill their purpose, not even in their own eyes. And both the present and the past contain much that is beautiful and noble which, without due praise, would have been neither noble nor beautiful."   —Par Lagerkvist (from The Dwarf, translated by Alexandra Dick)

3 comments:

JenW said...

Not sure if this is what that quote means but to me- praising others for their work, accomplishments and unique gifts reinforces their sense of self worth so it's always a good thing. Human beings thrive on creativity. Self expression and sharing without restraint is one part & the other is giving praise (flattery), showing appreciation for the amazing qualities of others. (Example-- a creative masterpiece of a bricklayer may be a glass block design in a library, the clean lines of a brick church or the sturdy structure of a fireplace. Hard work & tedious to onlookers but the bricklayer loves his "art" & has a strong sense of purpose and self worth.) And depression of course is the opposite- loss of awareness of creativity and purpose. It's simple, yet complicated-

Paul H. said...

If it's the Dwarf himself speaking, he may be speaking truth--but in such a way as to demoralize or otherwise harm the person he's speaking to.

Lally said...

I haven't read it since the early 1960s so don't remember the context exactly, but I do remember the dwarf had mixed feelings about those he encountered including DaVinci when he comes to visit his and the dwarf's parton...and the dwarf sees a lot to admire in DaVinci...my guess is since I wrote it in a journal where I kept favorite quotes I read in books, I interpreted it at the time as a positive perspective on the dwarf's part...for years I attributed a similar quote to Goethe about how the world would be a much less beautiful place without praise etc. but think it was maybe just me misremembering this quote until I read it in that journal...long comment to say I agree with you Jen and question your conclusion Paul, and believe even it it might be correct I'll stick with the more positive interpretation...