Lucía’s Reviews > The Left Hand of Darkness > Status Update

I wondered, not for the first time, what patriotism is, what the love of country truly consists of, how that yearning loyalty arises:and how so real a love can become, too often, so foolish and vile a bigotry. Where does it go wrong?

His loyalty extended without disproportion to things, the patient, obstinate, reliable things that we use and get used to, the things we live by.

A profound love between two people involves, after all, the power and chance of doing profound hurt.

the heaviest single factor in one’s life, is whether one’s born male or female. (...) it determines one’s expectations, activities, outlook, ethics, manners—almost everything. (...) it’s extremely hard to eliminate the innate differences from the learned ones. Even where women participate equally with men in the society, they still after all do all the childbearing, and so most of the child-rearing...

what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one’s country; is it hate of one’s uncountry? Then it’s not a good thing. Is it simply self-love? That’s a good thing, but one mustn’t make a virtue of it, or a profession...

It is a terrible thing, this kindness that human beings do not lose. Terrible, because when we are finally naked in the dark and cold, it is all we have. We who are so rich, so full of strength, we end up with that small change. We have nothing else to give.

The unexpected is what makes life possible.

in this imprecision is its precisest meaning.

the sure, quick, and lasting way to make people into a nation: war. (...)
The only other means of mobilizing people rapidly and entirely is with a new religion; none was handy; he would make do with war.