No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going.
Sir, what can be said of these things? Is it the arm of the flesh that hath done these things? Is it the wisdom and counsel, or strength of man? It is the Lord only. God will curse that man and his house that dares to think otherwise. Sir, you see the work is done by a Divine leading. God gets into the hearts of men, and persuades them to come under you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that divine influence, rather than human strength or wisdom, is responsible for significant achievements.
In this quote, Oliver Cromwell reflects on the notion that what humans achieve is not solely a result of their own strength or wisdom, but rather an influence from a higher divine power. He suggests that to attribute such accomplishments to mere human endeavor is misguided and that true success comes from divine guidance that moves people to action. This perspective invites humility in acknowledging the limitations of human capability and recognizing the role of the divine in shaping events.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about teamwork, you might say this quote to highlight the importance of divine guidance.
More from Oliver Cromwell
All quotes →On becoming soldiers we have not ceased to be citizens.
A few honest men are better than numbers.
Keep your faith in God, but keep your powder dry.
A man-of-war is the best ambassador.
Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.
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There are only individual people, different individual people, with their own individual lives. Using one of these people for the benefit of others uses him and benefits the others. Nothing more. What happens is that something is done to him for the sake of others. Talk of an overall social good covers this up.
We see the world, not as it is, but as we are -- or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open our mouths to describe what we see, we in effect describe ourselves, our perceptions, our paradigms.
Some stories, she’d say, the more you tell them, the faster you use them up. Those kind, the drama burns off, and every version, they sound more silly and flat. The other kind of story, it uses you up. The more you tell it, the stronger it gets. Those kind of stories only remind you how stupid you were. Are. Will always be.