Hannah Arendt — Quote from The Human Condition
“The fact that man is capable of action means that the unexpected can be expected from him, that he is able to perform what is infinitely improbable.”
The Human Condition (1958)
Concepts: praxis, agency, freedom
Resonant Quotes
- “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil...” — Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth Both celebrate human agency and the capacity for transformative action, with Fanon emphasizing generational responsib...
- “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free tha...” — Albert Camus, The Rebel Arendt's vision of human action as infinitely improbable performance directly parallels Camus's absolute freedom as e...
- “To exist, humanly, is to name the world, to change it. Once named, the world ...” — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Both locate human essence in the capacity for transformative action, where Freire's naming process exemplifies Arendt...
- “To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality...” — bell hooks, Feminism Is for Everybody Both quotes celebrate human capacity to transcend deterministic limitations through grounded yet visionary action, wi...
- “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is respon...” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness Both quotes ground human uniqueness in our ability to break from causal chains—Sartre through radical responsibility,...
- “Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Situations Both philosophers ground human freedom in the capacity to transcend deterministic conditions through unexpected actio...
- “Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of expe...” — James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Both authors celebrate human capacity to create unprecedented meaning through action—Joyce's forging of 'uncreated co...
- “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, t...” — Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals Both locate human dignity in our capacity to act beyond the constraints of fear and expectation, transforming what se...