Even better if you can provide your own understanding of its meaning.

Mine would be :

“Nothing kills a man as much as being forced to represent a country” (and err considering the context, I must stress it has nothing to do with the current US shitshow), by a WW1 soldier, illustrator and writer named Jacques Vaché.

For me it just means being forced into representing a group (national, of course, but maybe also social, racial, sexual, professional, any kind of group) or defining one’s identity only by reference to a group is to be avoided at all costs.

Note : Its not the same, imho, as engaging in a collective struggle or defense against a common oppression.

How about you?

  • pavodive@lemmy.ml
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    5 days ago

    I would rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that cannot be questioned.

    Richard Feynman

  • Lettuce eat lettuce@lemmy.ml
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    5 days ago

    “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

    I would be so far ahead of where I am right now if I had just decided on a course and committed instead of analyzing all the choices to death.

  • lattrommi@lemmy.ml
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    7 days ago

    Something my grandpa said, sometime around 2006-2007 I think.

    “The next world war, will be between the rich and and the poor, and the rich will win before the poor knows there’s a war.”

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    6 days ago

    “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut

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    6 days ago

    Not so much a quote as a poem, but it’s brief so here’s the whole thing:

    They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.

    But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats.

    Man hands on misery to man, It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself.

    • “This Be the Verse” by Philip Larkin

    As for what it means to me, I think it speaks for itself. It’s bleak and devastating, yet beautiful. I love the elegance and simplicity of the writing. It’s the only poem I have memorized because it’s so aesthetically pleasing and emotionally resonant. It has stuck with me since I first heard it over 10 years ago.

  • DeadNinja@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    “Hurt people hurt people”

    Ever since I heard this, I became relatively more compassionate towards people, even if they piss me off.

    • MrAlternateTape@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      It is very true, and how trauma is passed on from generation to generation. If you can skip a generation or escape the trauma you are essentially the stopping point of that trauma.

    • HaveMouseWillTravel@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      This makes a song I’ve been listening to make more sense. “Gary” by Dave Hause. I was interpreting the line as “Hurt People. Hurt people…” Instead of “Hurt people hurt people”. Thanks!

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        5 days ago

        His father is a real piece of shit. Like evej when compared to Elon. But also he grew up in a society defined by a particular level of violence. Even though he was the privileged group there the violence was still present and there was violence to all, including the violence to teach the white children to be the oppressors.

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        5 days ago

        Having untold wealth is actually not that good for you in a lot of cases. Generally, getting everything you want all the time is not good for your brain.

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    6 days ago

    “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.” -A clump of talking stars in Futurama I look at it like being a good custodian or someone who takes pride in the smallest details of their work, regardless of whether or not you receive recognition for them. Most people don’t notice the effort being put in when things are running smoothly. The work of the people behind the scenes is directly responsible for successes in the spotlight.

    • MrAlternateTape@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      This is what IT feels like. Everything is working? What do we pay those guys for?

      Everything is not working? What do we pay those guys for?

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    7 days ago

    Feelings are like children, you can’t let them drive, but you can’t put them in the trunk.”

    But I feel that one has a ¨spiritual parent¨:

    “Educate a child so you don’t have to reprimand an adult.”

    and a ¨spiritual sibling¨:

    “If your only tool is a Hammer then every problem looks like a Nail.”

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    5 days ago

    Men are scared that women will laugh at them , women are scared that men will kill them.

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    7 days ago

    The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy.

    Truly hating something takes passion, energy and time out of your day. It also taught me that for masters of personal interest, if you truly need to end a relationship with someone, you simply stop responding. It’s far more effective than loudly proclaiming what you feel they do wrong. That will take far more away from you than if you cut ties.

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    6 days ago

    Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee? But in the end one needs more courage to live than to kill himself.

    ~ Camus