The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I'm not mistaken, and I'll never lack priests to serve it as long as there are men.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
If you look at history you'll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Erasmus critiques the dangers of leadership by those more interested in abstract ideas than practical governance.
In this quote, Desiderius Erasmus warns that rulers who are overly immersed in philosophy or literature, rather than in the practicalities of governance, can lead to suffering and mismanagement for their states. He emphasizes the importance of practical wisdom and the risks associated with leaders who may be more concerned with ideas than with the realities of ruling and the welfare of their people.
Themes
PhilosophyLeadershipPowerGovernanceWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on leadership, one could use this quote to discuss the importance of practical experience over theoretical knowledge.
More from Desiderius Erasmus
All quotes →When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.
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You'll see certain Pythagorean whose belief in communism of property goes to such lengths that they pick up anything lying about unguarded, and make off with it without a qualm of conscience as if it had come to them by law.
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[N]o party is any fun unless seasoned with folly.
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Fortune favours the audacious.
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Before you sleep, read something that is exquisite, and worth remembering.
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Personally, I always wondered about authors and celebrities who loudly declared there was no God. It was usually when they were healthy and popular and being listened to by crowds. What happens, I wondered, in the quiet moments before death? By then, they have lost the stage, the world has moved on. If suddenly, in their last gasping moments, through fear, a vision, a late enlightenment, they change their minds about God, who would know?
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What we experience is our own concept of things. That is why no two people see quite the same world, and why, in many cases, different people see such different worlds. To put it another way, we make our own world by the way in which we think; for we really do live in a world of our own thoughts.
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