Roots quotes

Roots

1.9K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

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Roots quotes (page 2 of 96)

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Hannah Arendt Philosopher, Political Theorist
Roots

"It is indeed my opinion now that evil is never “radical,” that it is only extreme, and that it possess neither depth nor any demonic dimension. It can overgrow and lay waste the whole world precisely because it spreads like fungus on the surface. It is “thought-defying,” as I said, because thought tries to reach some depth, to go to the roots, and the moment it concerns itself with evil, it is frustrated because there is nothing. That is its “banality.” Only the good has depth and can be radical."

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Thomas Merton Writer, Monk
Roots

"The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of contemporary violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activity neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful."

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Daisaku Ikeda Buddhist Leader, Author
Roots

"Why doesn't constant trampling defeat the dandelion? The key to its strength is its long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth. The same priciple applies to people. The true victors in life are those who, enduring repeated challenges and setbacks, have sent the roots of their being to such a depth that nothing can shake them."

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B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Teacher
Roots

"Look after the root of the tree, and the fragrant flower and luscious fruits will grow by themselves. Look after the health of the body, and the fragrance of the mind and richness of the spirit will follow."

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Seneca the Younger Philosopher, Statesman
Roots

"No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley."

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Leon Trotsky Revolutionary, Politician
Roots

"Root out the counterrevolutionaries without mercy, lock up suspicious characters in concentration camps... Shirkers will be shot, regardless of past service."

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Victor Hugo Novelist, Poet
Roots

"Love is like a tree, it grows of its own accord, it puts down deep roots into our whole being."

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Rosa Luxemburg Political Theorist, Activist
Roots

"Self-criticism, cruel, unsparing criticism that goes to the very root of the evil, is life and breath for the proletarian movement."

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Alan Watts Philosopher, Writer
Roots

"We have a strange anxiety in us; that if we don't interfere then it won't happen. Now that's the root of an enormous amount of trouble."

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Dalai Lama Spiritual Leader
Roots

"A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can't grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon."

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Rumi Poet, Philosopher
Roots

"When you lose all sense of self the bonds of a thousands chains will vanish. Lose yourself completely, return to the root of the root of your own soul."

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Zadie Smith Novelist, Essayist
Roots

"As far as I'm concerned, if you want to find out about the last day of WWII or the roots of the Indian Mutiny, get thee to a books catalogue."

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Roots

"Caresses, expressions of one sort or another, are necessary to the life of the affections as leaves are to the life of a tree. If they are wholly restrained, love will die at the roots."

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Edward Said Literary Theorist, Critic, and Author
Roots

"They [root causes of terror] come out of a long dialectic of U.S. involvement in the affairs of the Islamic world, the oil-producing world, the Arab world, the Middle East - those areas that are considered to be essential to U.S. interests and security."

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