Digressions incontestably are the sunshine; they are the life, the soul of reading.
Laurence SterneRead
I'll not hurt thee, says Uncle Toby, rising with the fly in his hand. Go, he says, opening the window to let it escape. Why should I hurt thee? This world is surely wide enough to hold both thee and me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes coexistence and compassion, highlighting the idea that the world can accommodate different beings peacefully.
In this quote, Uncle Toby expresses a profound sentiment about the importance of kindness and the value of coexistence. By choosing not to harm the fly and instead allowing it to escape, he illustrates the belief that there is space in the world for all creatures. This moment reflects a philosophy of empathy and the moral imperative to act with compassion, suggesting that one should not harm others when peaceful coexistence is possible.
Themes
CoexistenceKindnessCompassionEmpathyPeace
In practice
Example use cases
In a conversation about animal rights, this quote can highlight the importance of treating all creatures with respect.
More from Laurence Sterne
All quotes →To write a book is for all the world like humming a song—be but in tune with yourself, madam, 'tis no matter how high or how low you take it.
Laurence SterneRead
Solitude is the best nurse of wisdom.
Laurence SterneRead
The accusing spirit, which flew up to heaven's chancery with the oath, blushed as he gave it in; and the recording angel as he wrote it down dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever.
Laurence SterneRead
I once asked a hermit in Italy how he could venture to live alone, in a single cottage, on the top of a mountain, a mile from any habitation? He replied, that Providence was his next-door neighbor.
Laurence SterneRead
People who are always taking care of their health are like misers, who are hoarding a treasure which they have never spirit enough to enjoy.
Laurence SterneRead
Similar quotes
Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.... The subjection of individuals will increase amongst democratic nations, not only in the same proportion as their equality, but in the same proportion as their ignorance.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Pundits are always blaming TV for making people stupid, movies for desensitizing the world to violence, and rock music for making kids take drugs and kill themselves. These things should be the least of our worries. The main problem with mass media is that it makes it impossible to fall in love with any acumen of normalcy. There is no 'normal,' because everybody is being twisted by the same sources simultaneously.
Chuck KlostermanRead
What a miserable thing life is: you're in clover; only the clover isn't good enough.
Bertolt BrechtRead
How did I get into the world? Why was I not asked about it and why was I not informed of the rules and regulations but just thrust into the ranks as if I had been bought by a peddling shanghaier of human beings? How did I get involved in this big enterprise called actuality? Why should I be involved? Isn't it a matter of choice? And if I am compelled to be involved, where is the manager—I have something to say about this. Is there no manager? To whom shall I make my complaint?
Soren KierkegaardRead
The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.
Stanley MilgramRead
Our bones ache only while the flesh is on them. Stretch it as thin as the temple flesh of an ailing woman and still it serves to ache the bone and to move the bone about; and in like manner the night is a skin pulled over the head of day that the day may be in a torment. We will find no comfort until the night melts away; until the fury of the night rots out its fire.
Djuna BarnesRead