I find there to be profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages to the reader. Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned. Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.
Each Thursday, I post a Proverb or Saying and a Quote that I find thought-provoking.
I hope you will too.
An enigmatic quote to begin today’s global proverbs:
“When it rains soup, the poor man has no spoon.” – Sweden
and Nietzsche’s cutting, incisive words are still potently relevant today:
“A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies.”
–Friedrich Nietzsche
and in foreshadowing multiculturalism, Nietzsche also said:
“At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
What is your opinion? Is Nietzsche still relevant, or applicable to today’s society? And what do you make of the Swedish proverb?
Something to Ponder About this Proverbial Thursday
Something to Ponder About 
The Sweden quote reminds me of this saying, “When it rains, it pours.” Raining soup reminds me of things that don’t often happen, and when they do a lot of the time we are caught off guard. It could be that we don’t see good things coming our way; maybe we are unprepared for them and in a sense opportunity passes us by.
Another Nietzsche quote! Not sure if I can relate to this one. Getting involved in politics, one wants to advance a certain perspective and make it a reality. They probably see some of us as useful pawns and the rest walls that get in their way.
The third one is rather deep, I think. Each of us are our unique persons with our own strengths and voices. No matter how similar the two of us may look, no two of us have the same stories.
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Your well thought out words are very appreciated, Mabel. I do think the Swedish quote is about good luck and conversely, misfortune. It is believed that beautiful people have many advantages in this life, and in the same way, the poor of the world have many disadvantages. Because of a lack or resources, their diet is poorer, which often dovetails into poor health; they have to live in rented accommodation in areas that are more polluted, less desirable, or exposed to crime. They are subjected to higher stress, which leads them to drugs, prescription and non prescription, gambling, debt, and perhaps depression. All these factors mean a shorter life expectancy for the poor of society. They are not born with a silver spoon, they have no spoon, when they is good fortune. They need to stockpile good fortune when it rains soup, but they can’t even eat the soup, because they have no spoon! It is extremely hard to get ahead in these circumstances.
Your comments on the politicians are sadly true enough, at least in our country. They are and I suppose have to be, quite ruthless.
“No matter how similar the two of us may look, no two of us have the same stories” – that is a fantastic saying. I am going to attribute that to you, Mabel! The Mabel quote!!! I love it. Us Humans are an amazing and infinite array of combinations! All wonderful and all contributing to our global diversity!
Have a great week, Mabel. Thanks always for your regular visits here on Thursdays!
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