To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that while we may have a stable system in place, the only inevitable truths in life are death and taxes.
Benjamin Franklin's quote highlights the impermanence of human constructs and the certainty of certain aspects of life. He points out that although the Constitution seems to be functioning well and promises longevity, the only reliable certainties we face in life are death and taxes, reinforcing the idea that stability is often an illusion.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the importance of civic responsibility.
To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
He'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.
Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions, and spend one penny less than thy clear gains; then shall thy pocket begin to thrive; creditors will not insult, nor want oppress, nor hungerness bite, nor nakedness freeze thee
I think that a young state, like a young virgin, should modestly stay at home, and wait the application of suitors for an alliance with her; and not run about offering her amity to all the world; and hazarding their refusal. Our virgin is a jolly one; and tho at present not very rich, will in time be a great fortune, and where she has a favorable predisposition, it seems to me well worth cultivating.
All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving. They do that by asking WHY. After all, the person who knows HOW will always have a job, but the person who knows WHY will always be the boss.
Christians aren't people who never sin or always do the right thing. We're people who live in continual repentance.
There's a notion I'd like to see buried: the ordinary person. Ridiculous. There is no ordinary person.
In this very real world, good doesn't drive out evil. Evil doesn't drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.
So many things I had thought forgotten Return to my mind with stranger pain: Like letters that arrive addressed to someone Who left the house so many years ago.
Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep multiplying; but now they can't ever be said. And besides, they would require a library-and a pen warmed up in hell.
A belligerent state permits itself every such misdeed, every such act of violence, as would disgrace the individual.
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