It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others. You can gain nothing by criticizing their imperfections.
Daisaku IkedaRead
While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts conservatism with the spirit of pioneering, emphasizing the importance of embracing new ideas and ideals.
Daisaku Ikeda uses the metaphor of seasons and times of day to illustrate the contrast between conservatism—representing stagnation and protectionism—and the dynamic spirit of pioneering that seeks to realize new ideals. Just as spring symbolizes renewal and birth, the spirit of innovation and progress is essential for personal and societal growth, urging us to step out of the shadows of fear and embrace the light of opportunity.
Themes
ChangePioneeringIdealsGrowthRenewal
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech about embracing new opportunities could incorporate this quote.
More from Daisaku Ikeda
All quotes →There’s no need for us to be held back by the past or how things have been so far. The important thing is what seeds we are sowing now for the future.
Daisaku IkedaRead
True love should be transformative; a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people. It can make us stronger, lift us higher and deepen us as individuals. Only to the extent that we polish ourselves now can we hope to develop wonderful bonds of the heart in the future.
Daisaku IkedaRead
Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something.
Daisaku IkedaRead
Just as a diamond can only be polished by another diamond, it is only through genuine, all-out engagement with others that people can polish their character, and help each other to reach greater heights.
Daisaku IkedaRead
Creating harmony amidst diversity is a fundamental issue of the twenty-first century. While celebrating the unique characteristics of different peoples and cultures, we have to create solidarity on the level of our common humanity, our common life. Without such solidarity, there will be no future for the human race. Diversity should not beget conflict in the world, but richness.
Daisaku IkedaRead
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My goal is to achieve a little less injustice in Uruguay, to help the most vulnerable and to leave behind a political way of thinking, a way of looking at the future that will be passed on and used to move forward. There's nothing short-term, no victory around the corner. I will not achieve paradise or anything like that. What I want is to fight for the common good to progress. Life slips by. The way to prolong it is for others to continue your work.
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Each book I write is a shout into the silence and a prayer and a plea for change.
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Indeed, I suspect that the changes that have taken place during the last century in the average man's fundamental beliefs, in his philosophy, in his conception of religion, in his whole world outlook, are greater than the changes that occurred during the preceding four thousand years all put together.
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If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.
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