It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.
William Ellery ChanningRead
Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the inherent human capacity for growth and learning, warning against the dangers of ignorance.
William Ellery Channing highlights that every person's mind is inherently designed to seek growth and knowledge. When individuals are confined to ignorance, it represents a failure to nurture this natural inclination, ultimately harming both the individual and society as a whole. The quote suggests that fostering education and awareness is essential for personal and collective development.
Themes
GrowthKnowledgeIgnoranceEducationMind
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher could use this quote to inspire students about the importance of continuous learning.
More from William Ellery Channing
All quotes →No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent.
William Ellery ChanningRead
I laugh, for hope hath a happy place with me; If my boat sinks, 'tis to another sea.
William Ellery ChanningRead
We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.
William Ellery ChanningRead
He who is false to the present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and you will see the effect when the weaving of a life-time is unraveled.
William Ellery ChanningRead
Influence is to be measured, not by the extent of surface it covers, but by its kind.
William Ellery ChanningRead
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