God the Father, the supreme Architect, had already built this cosmic home we behold, the most sacred temple of His godhead, by the laws of His mysterious wisdom.
Giovanni Pico Della MirandolaRead
Whatever seeds each man cultivates will grow to maturity and bear in him their own fruit. If they be vegetative, he will be like a plant.
Interpretation
Our actions and choices determine our personal growth and outcomes.
This quote emphasizes the idea that individuals are responsible for the development of their character and potential through their choices and actions. Just as seeds planted in soil will determine the type of plant that grows, the thoughts and actions that a person nurtures will shape the essence of who they become and the results they produce in life.
In practice
During a motivational speech to inspire students about their futures.
God the Father, the supreme Architect, had already built this cosmic home we behold, the most sacred temple of His godhead, by the laws of His mysterious wisdom.
The Pythagoreans degrade impious men into brutes and, if one is to believe Empedocles, even into plants.
For why should we not admire more the angels themselves and the blessed choirs of heaven?
We believe that the spreading out and perpetuity of the institution of slavery impairs the general welfare. We believe - nay, we know, that that is the only thing that has ever threatened the perpetuity of the Union itself.
I would like to find a way in which people in Saudi Arabia could learn that they can be something other than a Muslim. Some people may not realize this. Of course, there is the problem that you can get in trouble or get stoned.
When we are young we do not look into mirrors. It is when we are old, concerned with our name, our legend, what our lives will mean to the future. We become vain with the names we own, our claims to have been the first eyes, the strongest army, the cleverest merchant. It is when he is old that Narcissus wants a graven image of himself.
Why, I hold fate Clasped in my fist, and could command the course Of time's eternal motion, hadst thou been One thought more steady than an ebbing sea.
It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is afraid to feel. He has been taught at his public school that feeling is bad form. He must not express great joy or sorrow, or even open his mouth too wide when he talks-his pipe might fall out if he did.
Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.
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