Haunted from my early youth by the transitoriness and pathos of life, I was aware that it is not enough to say "I am doing no harm," I ought to be testing myself daily, and asking myself what I am really achieving.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and striving for meaningful achievements rather than just avoiding harm.
In this quote, Margot Asquith reflects on the fleeting nature of life and the importance of actively engaging in self-assessment. She suggests that merely existing without causing harm is insufficient; individuals should continually evaluate their actions and aspirations to ensure they are pursuing meaningful achievements that contribute to their personal growth and fulfillment.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about self-improvement.
A first grader should understand that her or his culture isn't a rational invention; that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well; that all cultures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own society...Cultural relativity is defensible, attractive. It's a source of hope. It means we don't have to continue this way if we don't like it.
People derived too much pleasure from seeing their fellow man morally humiliated to spoil that pleasure by hearing out an explanation.
For a culture that has such a problem with death, we seem to deal with it in a quite bizarre way. We see people shot, killed and blown up, and we find it funny and sexy and all those things. But, the reality of it is that every day people die, and people are really sad and they grieve and they go through a really difficult process with it.
Of her own experience she had no memory of the thing happening; but in her instinct, which was the experience of all mothers of wolves, there lurked a memory of fathers that had eaten their new-born and helpless progeny.
We are conscious that religions cannot solve the economic, political and social problems of this earth.
The thing about being autistic is that you gradually get less and less autistic, because you keep learning, you keep learning how to behave. It's like being in a play; I'm always in a play.
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