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About this quote

What does it mean?
She tackles ethical dilemmas decisively, like a butcher cutting meat, and has already decided her stance.
In plain terms
She deals with morals as bluntly as a cleaver.
What can you take from it?
Decisiveness can simplify complex moral choices.

Where it applies

  • ethical debates
  • personal decision making

Putting it to work

  • define your core values
  • commit to a position

Questions to consider

  • When is decisiveness harmful?
  • How can you balance firmness with nuance?

Another view

A blunt approach may ignore nuance.

More from James Joyce

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  2. He was not sure what idea he wished to express but the thought that a poetic moment had touched upon him took life within him like an infant hope. He stepped o…

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  3. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.

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