Nikos Kazantzakis

"This book was not written because I wanted to offer a supreme model to the man who struggles; I wanted to show him that he must not fear pain, temptation or death - because all three can be conquered, all three have already been conquered. Christ suffered pain, and since then pain has been sanctified. Temptation fought until the very last moment to lead him astray, and Temptation was defeated. Christ died on the Cross, and at that instant death was vanquished forever."

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Source: Nikos Kazantzakis (2012). “The Last Temptation of Christ”, p.4, Simon and Schuster

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Nikos Kazantzakis

Nikos Kazantzakis

Novelist, Playwright

Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer and philosopher known for his exploration of existential themes in works like 'Zorba the Greek' and 'The Last Temptation of Christ'.

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"What is love? It is not simply compassion, not simply kindness. In compassion there are two: the one who suffers and the one who feels compassion. In kindness there are two: the one who gives and the one who receives. But in love there is only one; the two join, unite, become inseparable. The I and the you vanish. To love means to lose oneself in the beloved."

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"True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own."

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