Blessed be his name, who hath appointed the quiet night to follow the busy day, and the calm sleep to refresh the wearied limbs and to compose the troubled spirit.
Walter ScottRead
Who o'er the herd would wish to reign, Fantastic, fickle, fierce, and vain! Vain as the leaf upon the stream, And fickle as a changeful dream; Fantastic as a woman's mood, And fierce as Frenzy's fever'd blood. Thou many-headed monster thing, Oh who would wish to be thy king!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the burdens and challenges of leadership and the chaotic nature of desire for power.
Walter Scott's quote highlights the tumultuous and often uncontrollable aspects of authority and ambition, depicting leadership as a precarious position fraught with unpredictable emotions and fierce struggles. It suggests that the desire to rule or control others comes with its own madness and fickleness, akin to the instability of both nature and human emotions, ultimately questioning the wisdom in such aspirations.
Themes
LeadershipPowerChaosAmbitionFicklenessEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the challenges of leadership, one might reference this quote to illustrate the pitfalls of ambition.
More from Walter Scott
All quotes βIs death the last sleep? No, it is the last and final awakening.
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O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!
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There is a vulgar incredulity, which in historical matters, as well as in those of religion, finds it easier to doubt than to examine.
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Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, And men below, and saints above: For love is heaven, and heaven is love.
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Where shall the lover rest,_x000D_ _x000D_ Whom the fates sever_x000D_ _x000D_ From his true maiden's breast,_x000D_ _x000D_ Parted for ever?_x000D_ _x000D_ Where, through groves deep and high,_x000D_ _x000D_ Sounds the far billow,_x000D_ _x000D_ Where early violets die,_x000D_ _x000D_ Under the willow.
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