If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.
Julius CaesarRead
Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.
Interpretation
People are often inclined to accept ideas or beliefs that align with their desires rather than objective truth.
This quote suggests that individuals have a tendency to believe in things they want to be true, often ignoring or dismissing evidence that contradicts those beliefs. It highlights a common aspect of human psychology, where personal desires and hopes can heavily influence one's perception of reality and truth.
In practice
In a debate on social media, this quote can be used to remind participants to look for objective truths rather than just supporting their own opinions.
If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.
War gives the right to the conquerors to impose any condition they please upon the vanquished.
I have always reckoned the dignity of the republic of first importance and preferable to life.
As a rule, men worry more about what they can't see than about what they can.
All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures.
No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
The foundation of individual rights is the assumption that people have wants and needs and are authorities on what those wants and needs are. If people's stated desires were just some kind of erasable inscription or reprogrammable brainwashing, any atrocity could be justified.
Once you get to the Enlightenment, the way that powers get to be hyperpowers isn't just by conquest. It's through commerce and innovation. Societies like the Dutch Republic and the United States used tolerance to become a magnet for enterprising immigrants.
The first grave. Now we're getting someplace. Houses and children and graves, that's home, Tom. Those are the things that hold a man down.
The worship of reason is arrogance and betrays a lack of intelligence. The rejection of reason is cowardice and betrays a lack of faith.
I have sinned against my brother the ass.
Words are wise men's counters, they do but reckon by them: but they are the money of fools, that value them by the authority of an Aristotle, a Cicero, or a Thomas, or any other doctor whatsoever, if but a man.
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