Thomas Nagel Quotes
To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.
Quotes to Explore
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With the monstrous weapons man already has, humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world by its moral adolescents.
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Never jeopardize who you are for a role. Now, I'm not saying you should never change for a role, because the fun of being different characters is adapting different nuances and different parts of the character, but never jeopardize your moral compass or anything like that to have a role.
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I'm a psychologist. I was a psychology faculty member, and then I became an administrator of the department, then the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. At the time of the presidential search, I was the dean.
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Many, many, many small moves of many kinds can bring a way to manage change. The theory can come later.
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It is in their inherent moral components that recent Western strategies may be deficient. What percentage of the populations in countries engaged in the 14-year effort in Afghanistan could even name the three main Taliban groups with whom their soldiers have been engaged?
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I would say both Western psychology and Eastern paths would recognize that we get caught up in feeling like a separate self and an unworthy self.
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The relations between rhetoric and ethics are disturbing: the ease with which language can be twisted is worrisome, and the fact that our minds accept these perverse games so docilely is no less cause for concern.
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Hibernation is a covert preparation for a more overt action.
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I always thought that if I got no love at all early in my standup career, or I was god awful, I thought I'd get into psychology.
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We are certainly in a common class with the beasts; every action of animal life is concerned with seeking bodily pleasure and avoiding pain.
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There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written.
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Affirmative action makes employers think, 'Black woman nuclear physicist? Hah! Probably let her into Harvard 'cause they were looking for a twofer. Bet she got C's in high school practical math. Give her a job in personnel.'
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The moral and intellectual character of the Africans is widely different in different nations.
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By sincerity, a man gains physical, mental and linguistic straightforwardness, and harmonious tendency; that is, congruence of speech and action.
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I support affirmative action. I support special measures when you need it.
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Design, to me, is part psychology, part sociology, and part magic. A good decorator should know what's going on in someone's marriage and how their kids are doing in school.
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In silent films, quite complex plots are built around action, setting, and the actors' gestures and facial expressions, with a very few storyboards to nail down specific plot points.
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Fix your eye on the ball from the moment the pitcher holds it in his glove. Follow it as he throws to the plate and stay with it until the play is completed. Action takes place only where the ball goes.
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Every major power always seeks to justify its action on moral grounds. Such behaviour is almost as old as the hills. The west has been a particularly vigorous exponent of this credo; and there is no reason to believe that China, for example, will be any different. But behind the moral rhetoric invariably lies interest and ideology.
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People can say whatever they want about you without knowing the facts. They can criticize you without even knowing you, and hate you when they don't even know you. All of a sudden, you're, like, the bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through.
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I'm sick of remakes, how about something different. That's the thing - people always come to me and are like 'what do you want to remake, we know we can get that greenlight, what do you want to make?' I don't want to remake a g-d damn focking think.
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The universe is not made up of atoms; it’s made up of tiny stories.
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I have always seen the United States as a force of good. And I have learned that there is the idealistic part about what we can do at the U.N. and there is a doable part. And I have learned what is more doable.
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To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.
