It were better to have no opinion of God at all than such a one as is unworthy of him; for the one is only belief - the other contempt.
Interpretation
It's better to have no beliefs about God than to hold an unworthy opinion about Him.
This quote by Plutarch suggests that having a low or contemptuous opinion of God is more detrimental than having no opinion whatsoever. It highlights the importance of forming respectful and worthy beliefs about divine matters, implying that the nature of one's understanding of God can reflect deeply on one's character and moral standing.
In practice
During a philosophical discussion on the nature of belief and its implications on morality, this quote can help frame the argument.
Sometimes small incidents, rather than glorious exploits, give us the best evidence of character. So, as portrait painters are more exact in doing the face, where the character is revealed, than the rest of the body, I must be allowed to give my more particular attention to the marks of the souls of men.
Come back with your shield - or on it
The richest soil, if uncultivated, produces the rankest weeds.
For the correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.
Our senses through ignorance of Reality, falsely tell us that what appears to be, is. FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real
I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.
I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.
Remembering the facts of death and Heaven gives us an even more pressing reason to learn to pray: We do not have an infinite amount of time. We are one day nearer Home today than we ever were before. I guarantee you that after you die you will not say 'I spent too much time praying; I wish I had watched more TV instead.'
The seeker's silence is the loudest form of prayer.
Sometimes the biggest disasters aren't noticed at all β no one's around to write horror stories.
We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools...now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One....The more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do others in ever increasing numbers become believers.
Most animals, including most domesticated primates (humans) show truly staggering ability to 'ignore' certain kinds of information - that which does not 'fit' their imprinted/ conditioned reality-tunnel
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