Srivalli (Semi-Hiatus) > Srivalli's Quotes

“The spiritual character of the relationship between indigeneity and nature is an emotion that the coloniser can at best exoticise but can never relate to.”
― J Sai Deepak, India that is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution

“India itself cannot be viewed only as a bundle of the old and the new, accidentally and uncomfortably pieced together, an artificial construct without a natural unity. Nor is she just a repository of quaint, fashionable accessories to Western lifestyles; nor a junior partner in a global capitalist world. India is its own distinct and unified civilization with a proven ability to manage profound differences, engage creatively with various cultures, religions and philosophies, and peacefully integrate many diverse streams of humanity.”
― Rajiv Malhotra, Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism

“An author doesn't have the moral right to violate truth and take refuge in the claim that he/she is only a creative artist.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, ಆವರಣ [Aavarana]

“At least four forms of colonialism are recognised, namely exploitation colonialism, settler colonialism, surrogate colonialism and internal colonialism,”
― J. Sai Deepak, India that is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution

“if Hindus cannot—or are not allowed to—perform something as fundamental as Puja, they’re destroyed in ways our imagination cannot even fathom.”
― Sandeep Balakrishna, 10 Lessons from Hindu History in 10 Episodes: Tales of Grit, Heroism and Valour

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”
― Jane Austen, Jane Austen's Letters

“No, I need all this electricity, this scientific manure—all of this. I also need the medical science that cures animal diseases. But we need to throw to the winds the notion that animals exist solely for human utility.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, Orphaned

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

“Religion is something between you and other people; it’s full of interpretations and theories and opinions. But faith . . . that’s just between you and God.”
― Fredrik Backman, Beartown

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

“I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally. ”
― W.C. Fields

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
― Laurence J. Peter

“Always be a poet, even in prose.”
― Charles Baudelaire

“Hindu society is the only significant society in the world today which presents a continuity of cultural existence and functioning since times immemorial.”
― Sita Ram Goel, Hindu Society Under Siege

“There are no Zamindars today, so who are they fighting in the tribal areas? Why is it that after four decades of struggle, neither have the rebels achieved their objective nor have the tribals been empowered? Why is the government not being able to stop this oppression? Where do they get money from? Are all those intellectuals who openly support the Naxal movement on national TV, righteous people?”
― Vivek Agnihotri, Urban Naxals: The Making of Buddha in a Traffic Jam

“The purpose of reading history is not to deride or vilify anybody. And it shouldn’t be. At best, the study of history should help us to honestly, dispassionately understand the rights and wrongs of people we regard as our ancestors and use those lessons to shape our present and future.”
― Translated by Sandeep Balakrishna S.L. Bhyrappa, Aavarana: The Veil

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”
― Dante Alighieri

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

“The act of concealing truth is known as ‘aavarana’, and that of projecting untruth is called ‘vikshepa’. When these occur at the level of an individual, it is known as ‘avidya’ and when they occur at the level of a group or the world, it is known as ‘maya’.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, Aavarana: The Veil

“Realization comes when we honestly accept the mistakes of the past and that automatically builds the responsibility that will prevent us from repeating those same mistakes.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, Aavarana: The Veil

“We are not responsible for the mistakes committed by our previous generations. However, if we equate ourselves with them and regard ourselves as their heirs, we must then be ready to also share the responsibility for their mistakes.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, ಆವರಣ [Aavarana]

“We won't attain maturity unless we cultivate the wisdom to discriminate which deeds of our ancestors we need to reject and which achievements we need to take inspiration from.”
― S.L. Bhyrappa, ಆವರಣ [Aavarana]

“Everything must be taken into account. If the fact will not fit the theory---let the theory go.”
― Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

“Where pre-Enlightenment Europe was sporadically cruel, post-Enlightenment Europe was systematically inhumane; where the pre-Enlightenment was haphazardly prejudiced, the Enlightenment was systematically racist, creating a "scientific" hierarchy of humanity that justified imperialism. "Reason" became another name for bourgeois oppression, the triumph of science merely an excuse for more orderly forms of social subjugation.”
― Adam Gopnik

“The truth itself is never vulnerable. What is vulnerable is the state of knowledge or ignorance of human beings, especially our youth, who are being exposed to so many falsehoods.”
― Rajiv Malhotra, The Battle for Sanskrit: Is Sanskrit Political or Sacred, Oppressive or Liberating, Dead or Alive?

“The oral and folk traditions were often ignored, or even denounced as superstitious, because they did not fit the Western norms.10”
― Rajiv Malhotra, Indra's Net: Defending Hinduism's Philosophical Unity