Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret.
Robert E. LeeRead
Any victory would be dear at such a price.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the idea that the cost of achieving a victory can outweigh its benefits.
Robert E. Lee's statement underscores the profound understanding that some victories come at a significant moral or ethical cost. The implication is that while winning may seem desirable, if it depletes our values or inflicts great harm, the victory holds little worth. Therefore, true success is not only about achieving goals but also considering the implications and sacrifices involved.
Themes
VictoryCostMoralityEthicsConsequences
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership seminar discussing the ethics of decision-making.
More from Robert E. Lee
All quotes βLife Insurance trusts I consider sacred. To hazard the property of the dead & to lose the scanty earnings of fathers & husbands, who have toiled & saved that they may leave something to their families deprived of their care & the support of their labour, is to my mind the worst of crimes.
Robert E. LeeRead
It is easier to make our wishes conform to our means than to make our means conform to our wishes.
Robert E. LeeRead
So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained.
Robert E. LeeRead
Our country demands all our strength, all our energies. To resist the powerful combination now forming against us will require every man at his place. If victorious, we will have everything to hope for in the future. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for.
Robert E. LeeRead
With all my devotion to the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relative, my children, my home. I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the Army.
Robert E. LeeRead
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