--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ..then he added, as if requiring a…" description: "\"“..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own remark, 'Probably the greater the difference, the greater the similarity, and the greater the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg" --- # ..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own… ![“..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own remark, 'Probably the greater the difference, the greater the similarity, and the greater the similarity, the greater the difference,' at that moment he did not yet know how right he was.” quote by José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg) > ““..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own remark, 'Probably the greater the difference, the greater the similarity, and the greater the similarity, the greater the difference,' at that moment he did not yet know how right he was.”” [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that extremes in difference and similarity amplify each other, implying a paradoxical relationship between the two. **In simple terms:** Greater differences create greater similarities and vice versa. Key Takeaway Recognize how extremes can mirror each other. Themes paradox relationship extremes Mood thoughtful intrigued Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - academic analysis - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy dialectics Questions to Reflect On - How do you see this paradox in real life? - Can opposites truly reflect each other? A Different Perspective The idea may oversimplify complex interactions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference/) [Greater Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-difference-1625540/) [Greater Similarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-similarity-5644051/) [Jose-saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jos-saramago-97965/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Probably Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-greater-2129044/) [Remark Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remark-probably-5644050/) [Response Remark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response-remark-5644049/) [Similarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/similarity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“E se as histórias para crianças passassem a ser de leitura obrigatória para os adultos? Seriam eles capazes de aprender realmente o que há…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/e-se-as-hist-rias-para-crian-as-passassem-a-ser-de-leitura-obrigat/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Não é só a voz do sangue que não precisa de olhos, o amor, que dizem ser cego, também tem a sua palavra a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/n-o-s-a-voz-do-sangue-que-n-o-precisa-de-olhos-o-amor-que-dizem-ser/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“he argues that the difference between 99% and 100% of humanity perishing is far greater than the difference between 1% and 99% of humanity kicking the bucket.21”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-torres/he-argues-that-the-difference-between-99-and-100-of-humanity/) [Phil Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-torres/) > [ “\[José\] Saramago for the last 25 years stood his own with any novelist of the Western world \[..\] He was the equal of Philip… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/jos-saramago-for-the-last-25-years-stood-his-own-with-any-novelist-of/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Education makes a greater difference between man and man than nature has made between man and brute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/education-makes-a-greater-difference-between-man-and-man-than-nature/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [We in the industrialized world make a greater difference because our ecological footprint, our impact on the condition of the environment, is 40 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/we-in-the-industrialized-world-make-a-greater-difference-because-our/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [If it were not for the fact that editors have become so timorous in these politically correct times, I would probably have a greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/if-it-were-not-for-the-fact-that-editors-have-become-so-timorous-in/) [Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/) > [If my heart can become pure and simple, like that of a child, I think there probably can be no greater happiness than this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitaro-nishida/if-my-heart-can-become-pure-and-simple-like-that-of-a-child-i-think/) [Kitaro Nishida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitaro-nishida/) > [We probably have a greater love for those we support than for those who support us. Our vanity carries more weight than our self-interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-probably-have-a-greater-love-for-those-we-support-than-for-those/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [If I were really fluent and born into the English language, I would probably become a greater writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/if-i-were-really-fluent-and-born-into-the-english-language-i-would/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) > [If the money wasted on arms could be used to help the less developed nations, that would probably be a greater blow against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-attlee/if-the-money-wasted-on-arms-could-be-used-to-help-the-less-developed/) [Clement Attlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-attlee/) ## More by José Saramago > [“We are born, and at that moment, it is as if we had signed a pact for the rest of our life, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-are-born-and-at-that-moment-it-is-as-if-we-had-signed-a-pact-for/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [One can show no greater respect than to weep for a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/one-can-show-no-greater-respect-than-to-weep-for-a-stranger/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I am not a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-am-not-a-prophet/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [With the passage of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/with-the-passage-of-time-as-well-as-the-social-evolution-and-genetic/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Al día siguiente no murió nadie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/al-d-a-siguiente-no-muri-nadie/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“E se as histórias para crianças passassem a ser de leitura obrigatória para os adultos? Seriam eles capazes de aprender realmente o que há…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/e-se-as-hist-rias-para-crian-as-passassem-a-ser-de-leitura-obrigat/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [In a king, modesty would be a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/in-a-king-modesty-would-be-a-sign-of-weakness/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“the inmates of the second ward in the right wing have decided, at long last, to bury their dead, at least we shall be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/the-inmates-of-the-second-ward-in-the-right-wing-have-decided-at-long/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Stretching one arm behind him, the man passed his hand over the horse's coat, his own skin transformed, or skin which had transformed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/stretching-one-arm-behind-him-the-man-passed-his-hand-over-the-horse/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I think we are blind. Blind people who can see, but do not see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-think-we-are-blind-blind-people-who-can-see-but-do-not-see/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [...you have to leave the island in order to see the island, that we can't see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves, Unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/you-have-to-leave-the-island-in-order-to-see-the-island-that-we-can-t/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [anyone who gets up early by inclination or has been forced to rise early out of necessity finds it intolerable that others should go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/anyone-who-gets-up-early-by-inclination-or-has-been-forced-to-rise/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Society has to change, but the political powers we have at the moment are not enough to effect this change. The whole democratic system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/society-has-to-change-but-the-political-powers-we-have-at-the-moment/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“... aborrece os odores nocturnos, aquelas expansões do corpo a que nem poetas escapam".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/aborrece-os-odores-nocturnos-aquelas-expans-es-do-corpo-a-que-nem/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) [Explore all 487 José Saramago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More Difference quotes > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [In a play, you only get one chance, and you have to get it perfect. In a film, you can change and fix it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-hayward/in-a-play-you-only-get-one-chance-and-you-have-to-get-it-perfect-in-a/) [Kara Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-hayward/) > [I like candidates who tell me something that is going to make a difference to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-like-candidates-who-tell-me-something-that-is-going-to-make-a/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [There's a difference between watching a film and watching a bit of cinema and enjoying a film as a piece of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/there-s-a-difference-between-watching-a-film-and-watching-a-bit-of/) [Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/) > [“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOU When I hold a rose, I see the soft, velvety petals and smile, because tucked between those precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schroeder/the-difference-between-me-and-you-when-i-hold-a-rose-i-see-the-soft/) [Lisa Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schroeder/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-came-back-after-all-those-stories-about-hitler-and-his-snub-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [To make a big difference in the world show a little love.to know love open your heart to Jesus,to show love open your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohlatsane-nicole/to-make-a-big-difference-in-the-world-show-a-little-love-to-know-love/) [Mohlatsane Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohlatsane-nicole/) > [The biggest difference between us is in our thoughts. You do not want to know the truth and I cannot forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-biggest-difference-between-us-is-in-our-thoughts-you-do-not-want/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“it makes such difference where you read”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/it-makes-such-difference-where-you-read/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-s-the-difference-between-beautiful-and-ugly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,876 Difference quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own remark, 'Probably the greater the difference, the greater the similarity, and the greater the similarity, the greater the difference,' at that moment he did not yet know how right he was.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "José Saramago" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response-to-his-own-remark-probably/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difference" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response-to-his-own-remark-probably/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/jos-saramago-208_difference_then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response_2337174.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“..then he added, as if requiring a response to his own remark, 'Probably the greater the difference, the…” — José Saramago", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "José Saramago", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“..then he added, as if requiring...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response-to-his-own-remark-probably/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/then-he-added-as-if-requiring-a-response-to-his-own-remark-probably/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```