The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
Interpretation
Flexibility in the face of adversity can lead to better outcomes than stubbornness.
In this quote, Albert Schweitzer emphasizes the importance of adaptability and resilience during difficult times. He illustrates that those who are able to bend and adjust to life's challenges—much like a willow tree in a storm—can often navigate calamities more successfully than those who rigidly resist change, like an oak. This suggests that maintaining a light-hearted and flexible attitude can enable quicker recovery and better problem-solving in the face of adversity.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one might use this quote to illustrate the value of being adaptable.
I do not want to frighten you by telling you about the temptations life will bring. Anyone who is healthy in spirit will overcome them. But there is something I want you to realize. It does not matter so much what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do. If your soul is harmed, something irreparable happens, the extent of which you won't realize until it will be too late.
Within every patient there resides a doctor, and we as physicians are at our best when we we put our patients in touch with the doctor inside themselves.
By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe.
No one can give a definition of the soul. But we know what it feels like. The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth and beauty. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it--to remain children of light.
The mistake made by all previous systems of ethics has been the failure to recognize that life as such is the mysterious value with which they have to deal. All spiritual life meets us within natural life. Reverence for life, therefore, is applied to natural life and spiritual life alike. In the parable of Jesus, the shepherd saves not merely the soul of the lost sheep but the whole animal. The stronger the reverence for natural life, the stronger grows also that for spiritual life.
Day by day we should weigh what we have granted to the spirit of the world against what we have denied to the spirit of Jesus, in thought and especially in deed.
Being, not doing, is my first joy.
If you expect nothing, you're apt to be surprised. You'll get it.
Always define WHAT you want to do with your life and WHAT you have to offer to the world, in terms of your favorite talents/gifts/skills-not in terms of a job-title.
We give it up and just look directly with compassion and humor at who we are. Then loneliness is no threat and heartache, no punishment.
Quit worrying about how everything is going to turn out. Live one day at a time; better yet, make the most of this moment. It’s good to have a big – picture outlook, to set goals, to establish budgets and make plans, but if you’re always living in the future, you’re never really enjoying the present in the way God wants you to.
I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man I have ever met.
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