Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
Our rural ancestors, with little blest, Patient of labor when the end was rest, Indulged the day that housed their annual grain, With feasts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the joy and gratitude of rural ancestors for the harvest season, emphasizing the importance of celebration and thankfulness.
Alexander Pope expresses the idea that our ancestors, despite having limited material wealth, found contentment in their labor, especially when it yielded the fruits of their harvest. The quote serves as a reminder of the value of hard work, patience, and the beauty of celebration, gratitude, and communal feasting that follows a successful harvest, celebrating both the physical sustenance and the joyful spirit it brings.
In practice
In a speech during harvest festival, one might say this quote to inspire gratitude.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
There is a very Simple Secret to being happy. Just let go of your 'demand' on this moment. Any time you have a demand on the moment to give you something or remove something, there is suffering. You're Arguing with 'What Is' - Your demands keep you chained to the 'dream-state' of the conditioned mind. The desire to 'control'... is, ultimately, our unwillingness to just be awake.
And when they went away, leaving comfort behind, I think there were not in all the city four merrier people than the hungry little girls who gave away their breakfasts and contented themselves with bread and milk on Christmas morning.
It is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy.
One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.
Among the most joyful people I have known have been some who seem to have had no human reason for joy. The sweet fragrance of Christ has shown through their lives.
Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
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