Best quotes by Martha Nussbaum on Life

Checkout quotes by Martha Nussbaum on Life

• ‟ Every single university student should study philosophy. You need to lead the examined life and question your beliefs. If you don't learn critical thinking, then political debate degenerates into a contest of slogans.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ Envy, propelled by fear, can be even more toxic than anger, because it involves the thought that other people enjoy the good things of life which the envier can't hope to attain through hard work and emulation.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ Fear is ubiquitous in human life. It starts in infancy with our primal state of helplessness, where we can see what's going on but we can't move to get it. As we grow older we become a little more able to get what we want but then we're going to die so that gives fear another boost.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ In general, I agree with Socrates that what democracies badly need is the examined life, and we need to think critically about ourselves.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ Hilary Putnam died of cancer at the age of 89. Those of us who had the good fortune to know Putnam as mentees, colleagues, and friends remember his life with profound gratitude and love, since Hilary was not only a great philosopher, but also a human being of extraordinary generosity, who really wanted people to be themselves, not his acolytes.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ Among the good and decent men, some are unprepared for the surprises of life, and their good intentions run aground when confronted with issues like child care.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ If you've been betrayed by a spouse or a partner, it's much easier to focus on causing that person pain than it is to turn forward and actually create a life that's worthy of you in the future.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ What all emotions have in common, and what distinguishes them from bodily appetites, is a focus on an object and a view of that object as salient for one's life.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ Teaching has always been a very important part of my life. It is one of the ways I contribute to society. It is also a source of energy and insight.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ It's easy to think that college classes are mainly about preparing you for a job. But remember: this may be the one time in your life when you have a chance to think about the whole of your life, not just your job.

  - Martha Nussbaum
  

• ‟ When we feel helpless later in life, fear makes us scapegoat others. Instead of fixing the problems, we say, 'Oh, it's all their fault - those women or immigrants are infesting our country.' Rather than useful protest or constructive solutions, we get angry at these handy targets.

  - Martha Nussbaum