Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.
William PennRead
Nothing does reason more right, than the coolness of those that offer it: For Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders, than from the arguments of its opposers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reason is better conveyed through calmness rather than passion, as heated arguments can distort truth.
This quote emphasizes that when discussing truth and reason, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor is crucial. Passionate defenders of truth can sometimes cloud the argument and create more confusion than their opponents, making it essential to approach discussions with a level-headed mindset to effectively communicate ideas.
Themes
ReasonTruthCalmnessArgumentDiscussion
In practice
Example use cases
During a heated debate at a conference on truth and reason.
More from William Penn
All quotes βWhere thou art Obliged to speak, be sure speak the Truth: For Equivocation is half way to Lying, as Lying, the whole way to Hell.
William PennRead
Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects.
William PennRead
Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
William PennRead
To be a man's own fool is bad enough, but the vain man is everybody's.
William PennRead
Unless virtue guide us our choice must be wrong.
William PennRead
Similar quotes
The unstable estimates of men crowd to him whose mind is filled with a truth, as the heaped waves of the Atlantic follow the moon.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Beware of the person of one book.
Thomas AquinasRead
No amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honor.
Thomas CarlyleRead
Whatever terrible things may have happened to you, only one thing allows them to damage your core self, and that is continued belief in them.
Martha BeckRead
God cannot forgive a sinner who does not acknowledge his sin.
Mother AngelicaRead
It is important that spiritual advancement must keep pace with material advancement. When this comes to be realized man's journey toward higher and more lasting values will show more marked progress while the evil in him recedes into the background. Knowing that material and spiritual progress are essential to man, we must ceaselessly work for the equal attainment of both. Only then shall we be able to acquire that absolute inner calm so necessary to our well-being.
Haile SelassieRead