Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
And make each day a critic on the last.
Interpretation
The quote encourages self-reflection and continuous improvement by comparing each day to the previous one.
In this quote, Alexander Pope suggests that individuals should evaluate their progress and experiences on a daily basis. Each day serves as a benchmark for growth, prompting an assessment of how one can evolve and better oneself moving forward. This perspective fosters a habit of reflection, allowing individuals to learn from their actions and strive for improvement over time.
In practice
I shared this quote during a motivational talk to inspire students to assess their daily progress.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
The villains are all parts of me. For years I've been wondering what it would be like if all those negative elements were forced onto the main character's side. I can understand a character with that kind of anger.
The sciences are the 'how,' and the humanities are the 'why' - why are we here, why do we believe in the things we believe in. I don't think you can have the 'how' without the 'why.'
Therefore, if God existed, only in one way could he serve human liberty - by ceasing to exist.
Truth is a tyrant-the only tyrant to whom we can give our allegiance. The service of truth is a matter of heroism.
If I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible what was the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: 'Men had forgotten God; that is why all this has happened.'
When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises.
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