The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.
Thomas CarlyleRead
The barrenest of all mortals is the sentimentalist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Sentimentality without action or practicality results in emptiness.
In this quote, Thomas Carlyle suggests that those who are overly sentimental, embracing emotions and feelings without taking concrete actions, ultimately lead an unfulfilled existence. He emphasizes the importance of balancing sentiment with practicality, indicating that a deep emotional life must be complemented by meaningful engagement with the world.
Themes
SentimentalismEmotionPracticalityFulfillmentAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of balancing feelings with practical decisions.
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For the superior morality, of which we hear so much, we too would desire to be thankful: at the same time, it were but blindness to deny that this superior morality is properly rather an inferior criminality, produced not by greater love of Virtue, but by greater perfection of Police; and of that far subtler and stronger Police, called Public Opinion.
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Enjoying things which are pleasant; that is not the evil; it is the reducing of our moral self to slavery by them that is.
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Clean undeniable right, clear undeniable might: either of these once ascertained puts an end to battle. All battle is a confused experiment to ascertain one and both of these.
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