Our interest's on the dangerous edge of things. The honest thief, the tender murderer, The superstitious atheist.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- True interest lies in the complex, morally ambiguous edges of human nature.
- In plain terms
- We should care about people who are mixtures of good and bad.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on the complex, contradictory aspects of people.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who is the most contradictory person you know?
- Are people mostly good or bad?
Another view
Focusing on the edges might ignore the clear good or bad.
More from Robert Browning
Progress, man's distinctive mark alone, Not God's, and not the beasts': God is, they are, Man partly is and wholly hopes to be.
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Permalink to quote #35 What of soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?
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