The Paradox of Identity

“The paradox of identity is that it is precisely when we speak from within our particularity that we strike a chord with others of different particularity. You don’t have to be French to love Flaubert, Russian to admire Tolstoy or Japanese to enjoy a haiku. Affirming our identity need not involve negating anyone else’s. I can say this is who I am, without saying or implying that this is the only way to be.”

The Power of Ideas, p. 109