--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got to a state where phrases like \"the…" description: "\"“I got to a state where phrases like \"the Good, the True, and the Beautiful\" filled me with a kind of suppressed indignation, because they stood for th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/thomas-merton-231_beauty_i-got-to-a-state-where-phrases-like-the_894574.jpg" --- # I got to a state where phrases like "the Good, the True… ![“I got to a state where phrases like "the Good, the True, and the Beautiful" filled me with a kind of suppressed indignation, because they stood for the big sin of Platonism: the reduction of all reality to the level of pure abstraction, as if concrete, individual substances had no essential…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/thomas-merton-231_beauty_i-got-to-a-state-where-phrases-like-the_894574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/thomas-merton-231_beauty_i-got-to-a-state-where-phrases-like-the_894574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b4/thomas-merton-231_beauty_i-got-to-a-state-where-phrases-like-the_894574.jpg) > ““I got to a state where phrases like "the Good, the True, and the Beautiful" filled me with a kind of suppressed indignation, because they stood for the big sin of Platonism: the reduction of all reality to the level of pure abstraction, as if concrete, individual substances had no essential reality of their own, but were only shadows of some remote, universal, ideal essence filed away in a big card-index somewhere in heaven, while the demi-urges milled around the Logos piping their excitement in high, fluted, English intellectual tones.”” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abstract ideals can dismiss concrete reality, creating frustration when they ignore tangible experiences. **In simple terms:** Abstract ideals can ignore real life. Key Takeaway Balance abstract thought with concrete experience. Themes philosophy art reality Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - art criticism - spiritual practice Key Concepts idealism materialism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize abstract ideals over concrete facts? - How can you integrate both? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on abstraction may alienate those who value practical truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Indignation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indignation/) [Indignation Stood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indignation-stood-1181343/) [Platonism Reduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platonism-reduction-1181344/) [Sin Platonism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-platonism-1181342/) [State Phrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-phrases-1181341/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The vehemence of my moral indignation surprised me. Was I beginning to have standards and principles, and, oh dear, scruples? What were they, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/the-vehemence-of-my-moral-indignation-surprised-me-was-i-beginning-to/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [“Lewis Richardson wrote that his quest to analyze peace with numbers sprang from two prejudices. As a Quaker, he believed that "the moral evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/lewis-richardson-wrote-that-his-quest-to-analyze-peace-with-numbers/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Indignation and determination are much more constructive emotions than shame and embarrassment. And feminism was this engine that turned one into the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/indignation-and-determination-are-much-more-constructive-emotions/) [Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/) > [You can't dwell on what happened. 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