The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
Living is death; dying is life. We are not what we appear to be. On this side of the grave we are exiles, on that citizens; on this side orphans, on that children.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that true existence is often misunderstood, equating living with a form of death and dying with the essence of life.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote reflects the idea that the life we experience on Earth is fraught with limitations and misconceptions. By contrasting life and death, he invites us to consider a deeper truth: that our current existence is merely a shadow of a more profound reality beyond death, where we will find our true identity and belonging. In essence, Beecher argues that what we perceive as life is filled with interruptions and losses, whereas death leads to a fuller understanding of existence and connection.
Themes
LifeDeathExistenceIdentityTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a philosophical discussion about the nature of life and death.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes βA man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
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No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
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We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
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No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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