No one is anyone, one single immortal man is all men. Like Cornelius Agrippa, I am god, I am hero, I am philosopher, I am demon and I am world, which is a tedious way of saying that I do not exist.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Borges argues that individual identity is an illusion and everyone shares a universal human essence.
- In plain terms
- Individual identity is an illusion; we are all one.
- What can you take from it?
- See humanity as a shared experience.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Are you separate from others?
- Does existence matter if you don't?
Another view
Individuals do have distinct perspectives.
More from Jorge Luis Borges
There are no moral or intellectual merits. Homer composed the Odyssey; if we postulate an infinite period of time, with infinite circumstances and changes, the…
Permalink to quote #15 Besides, time, which despoils castles, enriches verses . . . Time broadens the scope of verses and I know of some which, like music, are everything for all men.
Permalink to quote #17 Dictatorships foster oppression, dictatorships foster servitude, dictatorships foster cruelty; more abominable is the fact that they foster idiocy.
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