Smiling always with a never fading serenity of countenance, and flourishing in an immortal youth.
Isaac BarrowRead
Because men believe not in Providence, therefore they do so greedily scrape and hoard. They do not believe in any reward for charity, therefore they will part with nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that a lack of belief in divine providence leads people to act greedily and hoard wealth instead of sharing or giving.
Isaac Barrow's quote reflects on the human tendency to hoard and act selfishly when there is a disbelief in a higher power or providence that rewards charitable actions. It implies that the lack of faith in a greater purpose or reward fosters greed, as individuals are driven by the fear of losing their possessions without the promise of divine compensation or moral obligation to help others.
Themes
GreedCharityProvidenceSelfishnessBelief
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about philanthropy and the importance of giving back to the community.
More from Isaac Barrow
All quotes βThe reading of books, what is it but conversing with the wisest men of all ages and all countries.
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If men are wont to play with swearing anywhere, can we expect they should be serious and strict therein at the bar or in the church.
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That men should live honestly, quietly, and comfortably together, it is needful that they should live under a sense of God's will, and in awe of the divine power, hoping to please God, and fearing to offend Him, by their behaviour respectively.
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Nothing of worth or weight can be achieved with half a mind, with a faint heart, and with a lame endeavor.
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Upright simplicity is the deepest wisdom, and perverse craft the merest shallowness.
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