Like the winds that we come we know not whence and blow whither soever they list, the forces of society are derived from an obscure and distant origin. They arise before the date of philosophy, from the instincts, not the speculations of men.
Interpretation
Society's forces originate from deep, instinctual roots rather than rational thought.
In this quote, Adam Ferguson reflects on the nature of societal forces, suggesting that they are not simply products of rational philosophy but instead stem from deep-seated instincts and historical precedents. He draws a parallel with the unpredictable winds, indicating that social dynamics are influenced by factors beyond our comprehension and control, emerging from a complex interplay of human nature and history.
In practice
This quote can be used in a philosophical discussion about the origins of societal norms.
A few years ago it dawned on me that everybody past a certain age ... pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives. They don't want to be who they are any more. They want out. This list includes Thurston Howell the Third, Ann-Margret, the cat members of Rent, Václav Havel, space shuttle astronauts and Snuffleupagus. It's universal.
I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
Our obligation to fight pollution traces the roots of its persuasion to that same moral mountaintop from which my father lent his voice to the voiceless. The pursuit of civil equality in health helped build our environmental laws.
Most of us are reflecting life and not affecting it. Your inner speech mirrors your mind, and your mind mirrors God. If you_x000D_ do not change your thoughts, you haven't changed their activity. And if_x000D_ you do not change their activity, the conditions of your life cannot_x000D_ change, for they are only bearing witness to the inner action of your_x000D_ mind.
If you don't take a Sabbath, something is wrong. You're doing too much, you're being too much in charge. You've got to quit, one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you're not doing anything.
A sudden silence in the middle of a conversation suddenly brings us back to essentials: it reveals how dearly we must pay for the invention of speech.
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