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Sophie's World QUOTES

Sophie's World QUOTES

1 " So now you must choose... Are you a child who has not yet become world-weary? Or are you a philosopher who will vow never to become so? To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable - bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children thus have an important faculty in common. The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder… "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

2 " Imagine that one day you are out for a walk in the woods. Suddenly you see a small spaceship on the path in front of you. A tiny Martian climbs out the spaceship and stands on the ground looking up at you…
What would you think? Never mind, it’s not important. But have you ever given any thought to the fact that you are a Martian yourself?
It is obviously unlikely that you will ever stumble upon a creature from another planet. We do not even know that there is life on other planets. But you might stumble upon yourself one day. You might suddenly stop short and see yourself in a completely new light. On just such a walk in the woods.
I am an extraordinary being, you think. I am a mysterious creature.
You feel as if you are waking from an enchanted slumber. Who am I? you ask. You know that you are stumbling around on a planet in the universe. But what is the universe?
If you discover yourself in this manner you will have discovered something as mysterious as the Martian we just mentioned. You will not only have seen a being from outer space. You will feel deep down that you are yourself an extraordinary being. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

3 " Wisest is she who knows she does not know. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

4 " A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part: it troubled him that he knew so little. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

5 " And although I have seen nothing but black crows in my life, it doesn't mean that there's no such thing as a white crow. Both for a philosopher and for a scientist it can be important not to reject the possibility of finding a white crow. You might almost say that hunting for 'the white crow' is science's principal task. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

6 " A lot of people experience the world with the same incredulity as when a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat.…We know that the world is not all sleight of hand and deception because we are in it, we are part of it. Actually we are the white rabbit being pulled out of the hat. The only difference beween us and the white rabbit is that the rabbit does not realize it is taking part in a magic trick. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

7 " Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of them fall off, but others cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep in the snug softness, stuffing themselves with delicious food and drink. 'Ladies and Gentlemen,' they yell, 'we are floating in space!' But none of the people down there care "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

8 " It's not him who's disturbed. But he likes to disturb others--to shake them out of their rut. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

9 " But understanding will always require some effort. You probably wouldn't admire a friend who was good at everything if it cost her no effort. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

10 " A hydrogen atom in a cell at the end of my nose was once part of an elephant's trunk. A carbon atom in my cardiac muscle was once in the tail of a dinosaur. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

11 " People are, generally speaking, either dead certain or totally indifferent (Both types are crawling around deep down in the rabbit's fur!) "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

12 " Socrates himself said, 'One thing only I know, and this is that I know nothing.'
Remember this statement, because it is an admission that is rare, even among philosophers. Moreover, it can be so dangerous to say in public that it can cost you your life. The most subversive people are those who ask questions. Giving answers is not nearly as threatening. Any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

13 " A true philosopher must never give up. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

14 " Health is the natural condition. When sickness occurs, it is a sign that Nature has gone off course because of a physical or mental imbalance. The road to health for everyone is through moderation, harmony, and a 'sound mind in a sound body'. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

15 " If you believed in Christianity or Islam it was called 'faith', but if you believed in astrology or friday the thirteenth it was Superstition! "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

16 " He could very likely have appealed for leniency. At least he could have saved his life by agreeing to leave Athens. But had he done this he would not have been Socrates. He valued his conscience--and the truth-- higher than life. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

17 " Man is the measure of all things', said the Sophist Protagora (c. 485-410 B.C.). By that he meant that the question of whether a thing is right or wrong, good or bad, must always be considered in relation to a person's needs. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

18 " Life is both sad and solemn. We are led into a wonderful world, we meet one another here, greet each other - and wander together for a brief moment. Then we lose each other and disappear as suddenly and unreasonably as we arrived. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

19 " A state that does not educate and train women is like a man who only trains his right arm. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World

20 " The rearing of children is considered too important to be left to the individual and should be the responsibility of the state. "

― Jostein Gaarder , Sophie's World