Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn't worth ruling.
Louisa May AlcottRead
Conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.
Interpretation
Conceit can ruin true talent, while genuine modesty enhances it.
This quote by Louisa May Alcott emphasizes that arrogance can diminish even the greatest abilities. True talent, paired with humility, is far more admirable and can eventually be recognized by others. It suggests that one should take pride in their skills without letting arrogance overshadow their essence, as true power lies in being modest.
In practice
In a motivational speech about self-improvement and humility.
Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn't worth ruling.
You have grown abominably lazy, and you like gossip, and waste time on frivolous things, you are contented to be petted and admired by silly people, instead of being loved and respected by wise ones.
"Stay" is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.
... swept into the giddy vortex which keeps so many young people revolving aimlessly, till they go down or are cast upon the shore, wrecks of what they might have been
Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.
It takes two flints to make a fire.
Let knowledge grow from more to more, But more of reverence in us dwell; That mind and soul, according well, May make one music as before, But vaster.
Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman.
Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.
But knowing what I don’t want to do doesn’t help me figure out what I do want to do. I could do just about anything if somebody made me. But I don’t have an image of the one thing I really want to do. That’s my problem now. I can’t find the image.
Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.
Ambition first sprung from your blest abodes: the glorious fault of angels and of gods.
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