The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago... had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands.
Havelock EllisRead
It is becoming clear that the old platitudes can no longer be maintained, and that if we wish to improve our morals we must first improve our knowledge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Improving our knowledge is essential for enhancing our morals.
This quote emphasizes the importance of knowledge as a foundation for moral improvement. Havelock Ellis suggests that mere adherence to old sayings or platitudes is insufficient for ethical progress; instead, a deeper understanding and education are required to cultivate better moral standards in society.
Themes
KnowledgeMoralsImprovementWisdomEducation
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on ethics, this quote could highlight the importance of education in moral development.
More from Havelock Ellis
All quotes βLife is livable because we know that wherever we go most of the people we meet will be restrained in their actions towards us by an almost instinctive network of taboos.
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To live remains an art which everyone must learn, and which no one can teach.
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The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw.
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Every man of genius sees the world at a different angle from his fellows, and there is his tragedy.
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It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success.
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A fellow once came to me to ask for an appointment as a minister abroad. Finding he could not get that, he came down to some more modest position. Finally, he asked to be made a tide-waiter. When he saw he could not get that, he asked me for an old pair of trousers. It is sometimes well to be humble.
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