The scepticism which men affect towards their higher inspirations is often not an honest doubt, but a guilty negligence, and is a sign of narrow mind and defective wisdom.
James MartineauRead
The mere lapse of years is not life. To eat, to drink, and sleep; to be exposed to darkness and the light; to pace around in the mill of habit, and turn thought into an instrument of trade-this is not life. Knowledge, truth, love, beauty, goodness, faith, alone can give vitality to the mechanism of existence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True life encompasses more than mere existence; it requires deeper values and experiences.
James Martineau's quote illustrates the distinction between mere existence and a fulfilling life. While many individuals may go through the motions of daily activities like eating and sleeping, he argues that life gains its true essence from the pursuit of knowledge, truth, love, beauty, goodness, and faith. These elements breathe vitality into our existence, transforming routine into a meaningful journey.
Themes
LifeExistenceMeaningValuesVitality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech to emphasize the importance of pursuing meaningful experiences.
More from James Martineau
All quotes βSimilar quotes
Have you never been moved by poor men's fidelity, the image of you they form in their simple minds? Why should you always talk of their envy, without understanding that what they ask of you is not so much your worldly goods, as something very hard to define, which they themselves can put no name to; yet at times it consoles their loneliness; a dream of splendor, of magnificence, a tawdry dream, a poor man's dream -and yet God blesses it!
Georges BernanosRead
Ultimately a hero is a man who would argue with the gods, and so awakens devils to contest his vision. The more a man can achieve, the more he may be certain that the devil will inhabit a part of his creation.
Norman MailerRead
Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. . . . Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.
LaoziRead
Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen.
George Savile, 1St Marquess Of HalifaxRead
The tyranny of a multitude is a multiplied tyranny.
Edmund BurkeRead
The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable perfection -even though nothing more than the pounding of an old piano -is what alone gives a meaning to our life on this unavailing star.
Logan Pearsall SmithRead