Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.
William GodwinRead
It is one of the oldest maxims of moral prudence: Do not, by aspiring to what is impracticable, lose the opportunity of doing the good you can effect!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focus on achievable good instead of pursuing unrealistic aspirations.
This quote emphasizes the importance of practicality in moral decision-making. It suggests that while it is admirable to aim for high ideals, one should not become so absorbed in these lofty goals that they neglect the beneficial actions they can realistically undertake in the present.
Themes
PracticalityMoralityAspirationGoodAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about community service, I could use this quote to inspire attendees to take action rather than get lost in unattainable goals.
More from William Godwin
All quotes βWhen the calamity we feared is already arrived, or when the expectation of it is so certain as to shut out hope, there seems to be a principle within us by which we look with misanthropic composure on the state to which we are reduced, and the heart sullenly contracts and accommodates itself to what it most abhorred.
William GodwinRead
He has no right to his life when his duty calls him to resign it. Other men are bound... to deprive him of life or liberty, if that should appear in any case to be indispensably necessary to prevent a greater evil.
William GodwinRead
What are gold and jewels and precious utensils? Mere dross and dirt. The human face and the human heart, reciprocations of kindness and love, and all the nameless sympathies of our nature - these are the only objects worth being attached to.
William GodwinRead
Extraordinary circumstances often bring along with them extraordinary strength. No man knows, till the experiment, what he is capable of effecting.
William GodwinRead
Power is not happiness. Security and peace are more to be desired than a name at which nations tremble.
William GodwinRead
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Forgive but do not forget, or you will be hurt again. Forgiving changes the perspectives. Forgetting loses the lesson.
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Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till it has engulfed the whole of humanity, nay, the whole of life, within its scope.
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It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
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Every man on the planet should do some physical work: he should help in the bread-labor of mankind. He should also do some of the intellectual work: he should help in the thought-labor of mankind. In a word, every thinker should work, and every worker should think.
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If standard of living is your major objective, quality of life almost never improves, but if quality of life is your number one objective, your standard of living almost always improves.
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Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.
Hans SelyeRead