To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
I have thought that wild flowers might be the alphabet of angels, β whereby they write on hills and fields mysterious truths, which it is not given our fallen nature to understand.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that wildflowers express deep, mysterious truths that transcend human understanding.
Benjamin Franklin's quote reflects the notion that wildflowers, with their beauty and unpredictability, serve as a divine language through which angels communicate profound truths about existence and nature. He implies that while we may admire these flowers, the depth of their significance is often beyond human comprehension, highlighting the contrast between the heavenly and our fallen nature.
Themes
WildflowersAngelsTruthsBeautyNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of preserving nature, one might say, 'I believe, as Benjamin Franklin observed, that wild flowers might be the alphabet of angels.'
More from Benjamin Franklin
All quotes βHe'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
Benjamin FranklinRead
[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions, and spend one penny less than thy clear gains; then shall thy pocket begin to thrive; creditors will not insult, nor want oppress, nor hungerness bite, nor nakedness freeze thee
Benjamin FranklinRead
I think that a young state, like a young virgin, should modestly stay at home, and wait the application of suitors for an alliance with her; and not run about offering her amity to all the world; and hazarding their refusal. Our virgin is a jolly one; and tho at present not very rich, will in time be a great fortune, and where she has a favorable predisposition, it seems to me well worth cultivating.
Benjamin FranklinRead
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The wooing of the Earth thus implies much more than converting the wilderness into humanized environments. It means also preserving natural environments in which to experience mysteries transcending daily life and from which to recapture, in a Proustian kind of remembrance, the awareness of the cosmic forces that have shaped humankind.
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I think that the world should be full of cats and full of rain, that's all, just cats and rain, rain and cats, very nice, good night.
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