And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that our purpose is not just to seek happiness, but to excel and contribute to the greater good of humanity.
Orson Scott Card's quote suggests that rather than solely pursuing personal happiness, individuals should strive for excellence and brilliance in their endeavors for the benefit of humanity. It highlights the idea that our achievements and contributions to society can have a profound impact, and that true fulfillment may come from the efforts we make to uplift others and advance collective progress.
Themes
HumanityBrillianceContributionExcellencePurpose
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community service, one could quote this to inspire volunteers to see their efforts as meaningful.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Orson Scott CardRead
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
Orson Scott CardRead
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
Orson Scott CardRead
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
Orson Scott CardRead
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Orson Scott CardRead
Similar quotes
At school any spontaneous act was likely to get me into trouble. I learned never to act on impulse, and that whatever came into my mind first should be rejected in favour of better ideas. I learned that my imagination Wasn’t ‘good’ enough. I learned that the first idea was unsatisfactory because it was (1) psychotic; (2) obscene; (3) unoriginal. The truth is that the best ideas are often psychotic, obscene and unoriginal.
Keith JohnstoneRead
You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then - to learn.
T. H. WhiteRead
If you expect the blessings of God, be kind to His people.
Abu BakrRead
Wherever I am, let me never forget to distinguish want from need
Barbara KingsolverRead
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That is the lesson, and that lesson alone will save you a lot of grief.
Oprah WinfreyRead
Those who suffer from an exaggerated sense of their own ability and accomplishment are continually subject to frustration, disappointment, and rage when reality intrudes and the world doesn't validate their idealized view of themselves.
Dalai LamaRead