Alan Macfarlane Quotes & Sayings

The independence of a nation springs from the independent spirit of its citizens — Alan Macfarlane

There is no geometry here; or rather there is a secret, infinitely non-Eucledian and subtle geometry, a secret harmony that the mind seizes before the intelligence. — Alan Macfarlane

The highest goal is not distinctions, but synthesis and harmony. — Alan Macfarlane

We live in a glass-soaked civilization, but as for the bird in the Chinese proverb who finds it so difficult to discover air, the substance is almost invisible to us. To use a metaphor drawn from glass, it may be revealing for us to re-focus, to stop looking through glass, and let our eyes dwell on it for a moment to contemplate its wonder. — Alan Macfarlane