And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
His vices were the vices of his time and culture, but his virtues transcended the milieu of his life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how an individual's flaws are often shaped by their environment, while their positive qualities can rise above those limitations.
Orson Scott Card's quote suggests that the faults or weaknesses a person exhibits are largely influenced by the societal norms and values of their time and culture. However, it also emphasizes that one's virtues—such as kindness, integrity, and compassion—can transcend these external factors, possibly indicating that true character is defined by those innate qualities rather than by the imperfections that one may inherit from their surroundings.
Themes
VirtueViceCultureCharacterTranscend
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a discussion on moral philosophy to illustrate the interplay between individual values and societal influences.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Orson Scott CardRead
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
Orson Scott CardRead
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
Orson Scott CardRead
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
Orson Scott CardRead
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Orson Scott CardRead
Similar quotes
There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain
W. Somerset MaughamRead
Imagine a civilisation that's way in advance of us wants to communicate with us, and assist us in our development. The information we provide to them must reflect our highest aspirations and ideals, and not just be some crazy person's bizarre politics or religion.
Paul DaviesRead
I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum
George Bernard ShawRead
I'm for democracy, but imposing democracy is an oxymoron. People have to choose democracy, and it has to come up from below.
Madeleine AlbrightRead
If we are made in some degree for others, yet in a greater are we made for ourselves. It were contrary to feeling and indeed ridiculous to suppose that a man had less rights in himself than one of his neighbors, or indeed all of them put together. This would be slavery, and not that liberty which the bill of rights has made inviolable, and for the preservation of which our government has been charged.
Thomas JeffersonRead
All manifest life seems to require a period of sleep, of calm, in which to gain added strength, renewed vigour, for the next manifestation, or awakening to activity. Thus is the march of all progress, of all manifest life - in waves, successive waves, [of] activity and repose. Waves succeed each other in an endless chain of progression.
Swami VivekanandaRead