When a whole nation is roaring patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and the purity of its heart.
Interpretation
Patriotism can sometimes mask the true moral integrity of a nation; one should examine deeper than surface-level expressions of love for one's country.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson reflects on the idea that blind patriotism can prevent individuals from recognizing the ethical state of their nation. He suggests that when everyone is loudly expressing their patriotic fervor, itβs important to question whether this enthusiasm is backed by genuine moral values and purity of intent, urging people to look beyond superficial displays of loyalty to assess the true character of their country.
In practice
In a speech about national values, one might quote Emerson to remind the audience to focus on moral integrity.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
In an era of stress and anxiety, when the present seems unstable and the future unlikely, the natural response is to retreat and withdraw from reality, taking recourse either in fantasies of the future or in modified visions of a half-imagined past.
I don't think aggression works like thirst or sleep. I think aggression is more elicited by particular situations. I think it can be mitigated.
The final war will be between Pavlov's dog and Schoedinger's Cat.
A man of humanity is one who, in seeking to establish himself, finds a foothold for others and who, in desiring attaining himself, helps others to attain.
However strong, however imposing a ship may appear, it is not 'disgraced' because it flies before the tempest. A commander ought always to remember that a man's life is worth more than the mere satisfaction of his own pride. In any case, to be obstinate is blameable, and to be wilful is dangerous.
The first holy truth in God 101 is that men and women of true faith have always had to accept the mystery of God's identity and love and ways. I hate that, but it's the truth.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.