There are two great powers," the man said, "and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit.

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife
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The quote illustrates the perpetual conflict between two fundamental forces in human history. One side represents the pursuit of knowledge, freedom, and strength, advocating for human advancement and enlightenment. This faction pushes for progress, striving to empower individuals and promote wisdom and decency, suggesting that every achievement in civilization comes as a result of their struggle.

Conversely, the opposing force symbolizes the desire for control and submission, seeking to suppress growth and maintain authority. This battle between enlightenment and obedience shapes the course of humanity, where every increment of freedom is gained through intense struggle, highlighting the ongoing challenges in the quest for human dignity and understanding.

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The Subtle Knife
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Philip Pullman
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Other quotes in The Subtle Knife

Find the girl and the boy. Waste no more time.You must play the serpent.

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife

Can you imagine my astonishment, in turn, at learning that part of my own nature was female, and bird-formed, and beautiful?

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife

whatever humanness he had left felt the strangest of pleasures: that of offering eager obedience to a stronger power that was wholly right.

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife

nor that she saw them as human-formed only because her eyes expected to. If she were to perceive their true form, they would seem more like architecture than organism, like huge structures composed of intelligence and feeling.

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife

Anything that was associated with human workmanship and human thought was surrounded by Shadows.…

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife

The two dark figures of the bene elim has not moved. But they spoke:"You must come with us now. Lord Asriel needs you at once. The enemy's power is growing every minute. The shaman has told you what your task is. Follow us and help us win. Come with us. Come this way. Come now."And Will looked from them to Lyra's rucksack and back again, and he didn't hear a word they said.

Philip Pullman The Subtle Knife
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"Philip Sharpe was a soldier in God's army," says the minister. "Now he marches with the angels."

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I don't have anything against God. Far from it. But I don't understand Him. And I don't trust a lot of the people that go around claiming that they're working in His best interests.

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I don't have anything against God. Far from it. But I don't understand Him. And I don't trust a lot of the people that go around claiming that they're working in His best interests.

Now that you're an adult, you might still feel a pang of guilt when you decline a dinner invitation in favor of a good book. Or maybe you like to eat alone in restaurants and could do without the pitying looks from fellow diners. Or you're told that you're "in your head too much," a phrase that's often deployed against the quiet and cerebral. Of course, there's another word for such people: thinkers.

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Now that you're an adult, you might still feel a pang of guilt when you decline a dinner invitation in favor of a good book. Or maybe you like to eat alone in restaurants and could do without the pitying looks from fellow diners. Or you're told that you're "in your head too much," a phrase that's often deployed against the quiet and cerebral. Of course, there's another word for such people: thinkers.
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