Whether or not they exist, we're slaves to the gods.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Even if gods do not objectively exist, humans feel bound by higher powers or forces beyond their control.
- In plain terms
- Humans feel controlled by higher powers regardless of whether they are real.
- What can you take from it?
- We often attribute our lack of agency to external forces.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What forces do you feel bound by?
- Does belief in a force change its power over you?
Another view
The quote assumes a universal feeling of servitude that not all humans share.
More from Fernando Pessoa
Oh Portugal, today you are fog...
Permalink to quote #17 ... And I, who timidly hate life, fear death with fascination. I fear this nothingness that could be something else, and I fear it as nothing and as something …
Permalink to quote #19 These are Fortunate Islands, / These are lands without a place
Permalink to quote #16
Related quotes
My whole life has been decided by fate.
Sharon TateSharon Tate quote #8 There is undoubtedly something religious about it: everyone believes that they are special, that they are chosen, that they have a special relation with fate. …
Andrei CodrescuAndrei Codrescu quote #4 Why do you complain of your fate when you could so easily change it?
Donatien de SadeDonatien de Sade quote #7