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One of the worst muddles of this age is its confusing of the ideas behind combative and cognitive activity. Cognition is not fighting, but once someone knows a lot, he will have much to fight for, so much that he will be called a relativist because of it.

— Karel Čapek On Relativism (1925)

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More quotes by Karel Čapek

My dear Miss Glory, Robots are not people. They are mechanically more perfect than we are, they have an astounding intellectual capacity, but they have no soul.

R.U.R (1920)

Relativism is not indifference; on the contrary, passionate indifference is necessary in order for you not to hear the voices that oppose your absolute decrees.

On Relativism (1925)

Great god of the Ants, thou hast granted victory to thy servants. I appoint thee honorary Colonel.

I don’t know if you could prove that every theft is wrong; but I can prove to you that every theft is against the law, because I can arrest you every time.

Oh man, at that end not much has been left of your excellence, nothing of all that you have been boasting about through life - only sex, fear, self-admiration and a few other things you are usually ashamed of.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Karel Čapek (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.