Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Solomon, who was one of the Deity's favorites, had a copulation cabinet composed of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. To save his life he could not have kept two of these young creatures satisfactorily refreshed, even if he had fifteen experts to help him. Necessarily almost the entire thousand had to go hungry for years and years on a stretch. Conceive of a man hardhearted enough to look daily upon all that suffering and not be moved to mitigate it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the moral implications of power and the responsibilities that come with it.
Mark Twain's quote critiques the excesses of King Solomon, highlighting how his immense harem leads to suffering among those who cannot be adequately cared for. It raises questions about morality, empathy, and the responsibilities of those in power, suggesting that true leadership involves understanding and mitigating the suffering of others.
Themes
PowerResponsibilitySufferingMoralityLeadersEmpathy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on leadership ethics, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of empathy.
More from Mark Twain
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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
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In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
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