Less glory is more liberty. When the drum is silent, reason sometimes speaks.
Albert PikeRead
Masonry is not a religion._x000D_ He who makes of it a religious belief, falsifies and denaturalizes it.
Interpretation
Masonry should not be seen as a religion; doing so distorts its essence.
This quote by Albert Pike emphasizes that Masonry, which is often viewed as a fraternal organization, should be distinguished from the concept of religion. By categorizing Masonry as a religious belief, one misinterprets its principles and fundamentally alters its nature, suggesting that it is a philosophical system rather than a faith-based one.
In practice
During a discussion about the nature of fraternal organizations, this quote can help clarify misconceptions about Masonry.
Less glory is more liberty. When the drum is silent, reason sometimes speaks.
He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current... Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.
Let us drink together, fellows, as we did in days of yore. And still enjoy the golden hours that Fortune has in store; The absent friends remembered be, in all that’s sung or said, And Love immortal consecrate the memory of the dead.
War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.
Two forms of government are favorable to the prevalence of falsehood and deceit. Under a Despotism, men are false, treacherous, and deceitful through fear, like slaves dreading the lash. Under a Democracy they are so as a means of attaining popularity and office, and because of the greed for wealth.
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
The male orientation of classical Athens was inseparable from its genius. Athens became great not despite but because of its misogyny.
What is 'grace'? It is God's own life, shared by us. God's life is love. Deus caritas est. By grace we are able to share in the infinitely selfless love of Him Who is such pure actuality that He needs nothing and therefore cannot conceivably exploit anything for selfish ends. Indeed, outside of Him there is nothing, and whatever exists exists by His free gift of its being, so that one of the notions that is absolutely contradictory to the perfection of God is selfishness.
The Universe, as has been observed before, is an unsettlingly big place, a fact which for the sake of a quiet life most people tend to ignore.
I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.
A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years.
Love of the republic in a democracy, is a love of the democracy; love of the democracy is that of equality. Love of the democracy is likewise that of frugality.
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