Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.
Interpretation
Be wary of tempting pleasures that may come with hidden risks.
This quote by Thomas Jefferson warns against rushing into pleasurable situations without fully understanding the potential consequences. It encourages critical thinking and caution in the face of temptations that might seem attractive but could lead to negative outcomes.
In practice
During a discussion about financial investments, one might use this quote to caution against get-rich-quick schemes.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
Every man of genius sees the world at a different angle from his fellows, and there is his tragedy.
Once you have established yourself as a center of love and kindness radiating throughout your being, which amounts to a cradling of yourself in loving kindness and acceptance, you can dwell here indefinitely, drinking at this fount, bathing it in, renewing yourself, nourishing yourself, enlivening yourself. This can be a profoundly healing practice for body and soul.
Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention when needed.
To be honest and truthful in all endeavours is an experience, not a regret
When you get into your car, shut the door and be there for just half a minute. Breathe, feel the energy inside your body, look around at the sky, the trees. The mind might tell you, 'I don't have time.' But that's the mind talking to you. Even the busiest person has time for 30 seconds of space.
What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise
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