Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Just as love must extend to all objects not just one, reason must embrace the whole world. Both are broad orientations that cannot be restricted.
In plain terms
Reason and love both need to be open to everything, not just one thing.
What can you take from it?
Keep your love and reason broad rather than narrow.

Where it applies

  • ethical decision making
  • conflict resolution
  • education

Putting it to work

  • practice inclusive thinking
  • avoid narrow biases

Questions to consider

  • What biases restrict your reason?
  • Is your love too narrow?

Another view

Sometimes focus on one object or issue is necessary for depth.

More from Erich Fromm

  1. Man may be defined as the animal that can say 'I,' that can be aware of himself as a separate entity.

    Permalink to quote #23
  2. Reason is man's faculty for grasping the world by thought, in contradiction to intelligence, which is man's ability to manipulate the world with the help of th…

    Permalink to quote #25
  3. Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. 'Patriotism' is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by 'patriotism' I mea…

    Permalink to quote #22

Related quotes

  1. I observed, 'Love is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment.' It is not only 'the first and great' command, but all the commandments in one. 'Wh…

    John WesleyJohn Wesley quote #1
  2. La raison et l'amour sont ennemis jures.

    Pierre CorneillePierre Corneille quote #1
  3. Reason is nothing less than the guardian of love.[2]

    Sam HarrisSam Harris quote #1