I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.
Khalil GibranRead
I once heard a learned man say, "Every evil has its remedy, except folly. To reprimand an obstinate fool or to preach to a dolt is like writing upon the water. Christ healed the blind, the halt, the palsied, and the leprous. But the fool He could not cure."
Interpretation
What this quote means
Folly is an inherent trait that cannot be corrected through reasoning or reprimand.
This quote by Khalil Gibran highlights the idea that while many ailments can be healed or corrected, foolishness is a stubborn condition that resists change, akin to writing on water where the message vanishes. It stresses the futility of trying to educate or change someone who is obstinately foolish, suggesting that certain traits are permanent and beyond the reach of conventional remedies.
Themes
FollyFoolishnessWisdomRemedyFutility
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the limits of education, one might say, 'As Khalil Gibran noted, every evil has its remedy, except folly.'
More from Khalil Gibran
All quotes →Be patient, for it is from doubt that knowledge is born.
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Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
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God made Truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.
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Happiness is a vine that takes root and grows within the heart, never outside it.
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Solitude has soft, silky hands, but with strong fingers it grasps the heart and makes it ache with sorrow.
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