Edward Said

Literary Critic, Theorist Palestinian-American 1935 – 2003

Wrote 'Orientalism' and founded postcolonial studies.

368 quotes

"Health is not the absence of disease but the presence of wholeness"
Health
"Adventure is necessary for the human spirit"
Adventure
"Imagination is the most subversive faculty we possess"
Imagination
"Technology is not neutral; it embodies the values of its creators"
Technology
"The study of philosophy is the study of how to live"
Philosophy
"Literature gives voice to the voiceless"
Literature
"Politics is the art of the possible"
Politics
"War is the failure of language"
War
"Motivation without direction is just motion"
Motivation
"Inspiration comes from engagement with the world"
Inspiration
"Relationships require constant negotiation of power"
Relationships
"Solitude is necessary for intellectual work"
Solitude
"The intellectual must maintain a critical distance from power"
Leadership
"Change is the only constant in human affairs"
Change
"Education is the most powerful weapon against oppression"
Education
"Knowledge without conscience is sterile"
Wisdom
"Time is the dimension in which change occurs"
Time
"Truth is the first casualty of war"
Truth
"Freedom requires responsibility"
Freedom
"Peace is more than the absence of war"
Peace
"Nature is not a resource to be exploited but a system to be understood"
Nature
"Art requires courage to challenge conventional thinking"
Art
"Science is a method of understanding, not understanding itself"
Science
"Music is the language of the soul"
Music
"Faith without reason is blind"
Faith
"Leadership is the ability to influence without coercion"
Leadership
"Work is not merely economic activity but existential necessity"
Work
"Dreams are the rehearsal for living"
Dreams
"Humor is a form of resistance to oppression"
Humor
"Beauty reveals truth about the human condition"
Beauty