4 ms·

Could you share a few quotes or ideas from Master and Margarita that changed how you think? I really liked the book, but mostly because I thought it was funny

by _cs2017_ 8y ago

Could you share a few quotes or ideas from Master and Margarita that changed how you think? I really liked the book, but mostly because I thought it was funny and had great plot. I fear I missed all the deep wisdom.

yawaramin 8y ago
> Cowardice was undoubtedly one of the most terrible vices - thus spoke Yeshua Ha-Nozri. 'No, philosopher, I disagree with you: it is the most terrible vice!' (This is Pontius Pilate's response to Yeshua.) To me this is about staying silent when you see evil being committed. But it doesn't even have to be 'Evil with a big E', it's just about speaking up when you see something that doesn't sit right with your morality. The other big takeaway for me was about how Margarita threw away all the rules of society to save the Master (her beloved). But she did it for more than just his sake, I think; she certainly took her liberation from society's expectations of women.
- _cs2017_ 8y ago
  Thanks for pointing out. Even though I don't share your take on this, I find it interesting. I think the first example is just some innocent banter of a couple characters from long ago, who had a very naive understanding of the world because they couldn't begin to comprehend its true complexity. I think the second example is something any cool person would have done, because witches are awesome.
  - gdy 8y ago
    Don't you think that the world would be entirely different place without cowardice?
    - _cs2017_ 8y ago
      Certainly. But I think the world would be a far better place without hatred than without cowardice. So hatred is much worse than cowardice. IMHO envy, fanaticism, cruelty also cause more harm than cowardice.
      - gdy 8y ago
        I'm not sure about that. Absence of cowardice (also known as self-preservation) will severely limit what people allow to do to them. This includes limiting all the things that you listed as worse than cowardice. On the other hand, lack of fear will empower ideologies that employ suicide bombers. Also it will make nuclear wars much less unthinkable.
        gmc123 8y ago
        "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality." - One of President Kennedy's favorite quotations

yawaramin 8y ago

> Cowardice was undoubtedly one of the most terrible vices - thus spoke Yeshua Ha-Nozri. 'No, philosopher, I disagree with you: it is the most terrible vice!' (This is Pontius Pilate's response to Yeshua.) To me this is about staying silent when you see evil being committed. But it doesn't even have to be 'Evil with a big E', it's just about speaking up when you see something that doesn't sit right with your morality. The other big takeaway for me was about how Margarita threw away all the rules of society to save the Master (her beloved). But she did it for more than just his sake, I think; she certainly took her liberation from society's expectations of women.

_cs2017_ 8y ago
Thanks for pointing out. Even though I don't share your take on this, I find it interesting. I think the first example is just some innocent banter of a couple characters from long ago, who had a very naive understanding of the world because they couldn't begin to comprehend its true complexity. I think the second example is something any cool person would have done, because witches are awesome.
- gdy 8y ago
  Don't you think that the world would be entirely different place without cowardice?
  - _cs2017_ 8y ago
    Certainly. But I think the world would be a far better place without hatred than without cowardice. So hatred is much worse than cowardice. IMHO envy, fanaticism, cruelty also cause more harm than cowardice.
    - gdy 8y ago
      I'm not sure about that. Absence of cowardice (also known as self-preservation) will severely limit what people allow to do to them. This includes limiting all the things that you listed as worse than cowardice. On the other hand, lack of fear will empower ideologies that employ suicide bombers. Also it will make nuclear wars much less unthinkable.
      - gmc123 8y ago
        "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality." - One of President Kennedy's favorite quotations