Gnawing Quotations

The sting of conscience, like the gnawing of a dog at a bone, is mere foolishness

The standard that a society should actually embody its own professed principles is a utopian one, in the sense that moral principles contradict the way things really are --- and always will be. How things really are --- and always will be --- is neither all-evil nor all-good but deficient, inconsistent, inferior. Principles invite us to do something about the morass of contradictions in which we function morally. Principles invite us to clean up our act; to become intolerant of moral laxity and compromise and cowardice and the turning away from what is upsetting: that secret gnawing of the heart that tells us that what we are doing is not right, and so counsels us that we'd be better off just not thinking about it.

It kept gnawing at him and gnawing at his conscience.

What's gnawing at me is the fact that I've not done as well as I expected to do.

Losing is just sad. It was gnawing at everyone. Something had to change.

Mostly, I haven't had any lunch. I ate an energy bar. It helped a little. That stopped me from gnawing on people's heads.

To bring down your credit card balances, write down the benefits of reducing your debt. No more gnawing feeling that you're throwing money away, perhaps. More money flowing to other financial objectives. Then consult the list when you have doubts.

At most, you're looking at 300 calories and that's not really much for lunch, so you can eat it and an hour later you're gnawing the leg off your chair.

One should never direct people towards happiness, because happiness too is an idol of the market-place. One should direct them towards mutual affection. A beast gnawing at its prey can be happy too, but only human beings can feel affection for each other, and this is the highest achievement they can aspire to.

It reminds me of that dog that's always gnawing at you. They chase the postman.