If the whole earth is infinitely small in comparison with the sphere of the stars, what is man compared with all these created beings!
Interpretation
This quote highlights the insignificance of humanity in the vast universe.
Maimonides reflects on the relative scale of human existence in comparison to the vastness of the universe. By illustrating how the Earth is minuscule compared to the vast sphere populated by the stars, he encourages a humble perspective on our place in the cosmos and suggests that our concerns may be trivial when viewed against such grandeur.
In practice
During a lecture on existentialism, one might use this quote to illustrate humanity's search for meaning in an indifferent universe.
If men possessed wisdom, which stands in the same relation to the form of man as the sight to the eye, they would not cause any injury to themselves or to others; for the knowledge of truth removes hatred and quarrels, and prevents mutual injuries.
There are eight rungs in charity. The highest is when you help a man to help himself.
God who preceded all existence is a refuge.
When man possesses a good, sound body that does not overpower him nor disturb the equilibrium in him, he possesses a divine gift. In short, a good constitution facilitates the rule of the soul over the body, but it is not impossible to conquer a bad constitution by training.
One should see the world, and see himself as a scale with an equal balance of good and evil. When he does one good deed the scale is tipped to the good - he and the world is saved. When he does one evil deed the scale is tipped to the bad - he and the world is destroyed.
Further, there are things of which the mind understands one part, but remains ignorant of the other; and when man is able to comprehend certain things, it does not follow that he must be able to comprehend everything.
Charity is to be measured, not by what one has given away, but by what one has left.
The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves.
For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I want to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.
Our life is half natural and half technological. Half-and-half is good. You cannot deny that high-tech is progress. We need it for jobs. Yet if you make only high-tech, you make war. So we must have a strong human element to keep modesty and natural life.
If state, party and social policy will not be based on morality, then mankind has no future to speak of.
Help, master, help! here's a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man's right in the law; 'twill hardly come out.
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