Playing the game I have learned the meaning of humility. It has given me an understanding of futility of the human effort.
Abba EbanRead
History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
History shows that people and nations only make wise decisions after exploring all other options.
This quote suggests that wisdom often emerges from the lessons learned through failure and difficult experiences. It highlights the tendency of individuals and nations to exhaust other alternatives before recognizing the importance of making wise choices, emphasizing the value of the learning process inherent in trial and error.
Themes
HistoryWisdomLearningDecisionsNations
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about leadership, one might say, 'As Abba Eban noted, history teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.'
More from Abba Eban
All quotes βTragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.
Abba EbanRead
Nobody does Israel any service by proclaiming its 'right to exist.' Israel's right to exist, like that of the United States, Saudi Arabia and 152 other states, is axiomatic and unreserved. Israel's legitimacy is not suspended in midair awaiting acknowledgement.... There is certainly no other state, big or small, young or old, that would consider mere recognition of its 'right to exist' a favor, or a negotiable concession.
Abba EbanRead
A nation writes its history in the image of its ideal.
Abba EbanRead
It is our experience that political leaders do not always mean the opposite of what they say.
Abba EbanRead
A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement.
Abba EbanRead
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The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.
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Now is the time when we must renew ourselves and live as if we and all of life is sacred, and as if everything we do makes a difference.
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I think one of the main reasons I write is to do better than ranting. The ranting is the opinion, and the writing is not the opinion. I always say that people's opinions are the worst things about them. The words demand a dignity.
Howard JacobsonRead
Over the years I have developed a picture of what a human being living humanely is like. She is a person who understand, values and develops her body, finding it beautiful and useful; a person who is real and is willing to take risks, to be creative, to manifest competence, to change when the situation calls for it, and to find ways to accommodate to what is new and different, keeping that part of the old that is still useful and discarding what is not.
Virginia SatirRead