An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; A villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that a good person remains consistent in their values, while a wicked person is unpredictable and changes based on circumstances.
John Locke's quote emphasizes the contrast between the nature of a virtuous individual and that of a villain. An excellent man, akin to precious metal, maintains his integrity and virtues without deviation, reflecting a steadfastness in character. On the other hand, a villain's moral compass is unstable, shifting based on what serves their interests, much like the variable movements of the balance beam. This comparison illustrates the idea that true excellence in character is marked by consistency, while villainy is defined by inconsistency and opportunism.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about personal integrity.
For where is the man that has incontestable evidence of the truth of all that he holds, or of the falsehood of all he condemns; or can say that he has examined to the bottom all his own, or other men's opinions? The necessity of believing without knowledge, nay often upon very slight grounds, in this fleeting state of action and blindness we are in, should make us more busy and careful to inform ourselves than constrain others.
There is frequently more to be learned from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men.
Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.
Our deeds disguise us. People need endless time to try on their deeds, until each knows the proper deeds for him to do. But every day, every hour, rushes by. There is no time.
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.
In a culture where profit has become the true God, self-sacrifice can seem incomprehensible rather than noble.
Do you believe you can know yourselves if you don't somehow con- struct yourselves? Or that I can know you if I don't construct you in my way? And can you know me if I don't construct you in my way? We can know only what we succeed in giving form to.
Faith is not a refuge from reality. It is a demand that we face reality ... The true subject matter of religion is not our own little souls, but the Eternal God and His whole mysterious purpose, and our solemn responsibility to Him.
Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
Having a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing seems to me to be one of the most basic principles that you can adopt to contribute to individual and world peace.
This rule of silence is upheld when the culture refuses everyone easy access even to the word βpatriarchy.β Most children do not learn what to call this system of institutionaliz ed gender roles, so rarely do we name it in everyday speech. This silence promotes denial. And how can we organize to challenge and change a system that cannot be named?
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