It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
Saints cannot arise where there have been no warriors, nor philosophers where a prying beast does not remain hidden in the depths.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True greatness requires struggle and introspection, as warriors pave the way for saints and thinkers.
This quote by George Santayana suggests that in order for noble qualities, such as those found in saints or philosophers, to emerge, there must first be a confrontation with darkness and adversity. The reference to 'warriors' symbolizes those who fight against ignorance or evil, while the 'prying beast' represents the hidden struggles that exist within humans, which must be acknowledged to cultivate wisdom and virtue.
Themes
GrowthStruggleWisdomAdversityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming personal challenges.
More from George Santayana
All quotes βThe working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
George SantayanaRead
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
George SantayanaRead
Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
George SantayanaRead
To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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