Quotation by

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

We say nothing essential about the cathedral when we speak of its stones. We say nothing essential about Man when we seek to define him by the qualities of men.
Men

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

The quote means that focusing only on the basic parts of something, like the stones of a cathedral, misses what truly defines it. Similarly, trying to understand a person just by looking at individual traits shared by many people does not capture what makes that person unique or human.

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I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others.