The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
Coming to the Bible through commentaries is much like looking at a landscape through garret windows, over which generations of unmolested spiders have spun their webs.
Interpretation
Interpreting the Bible through commentaries can obscure its true meaning, much like a web can distort a view.
Henry Ward Beecher illustrates that relying on commentaries to understand the Bible is like viewing a beautiful landscape through dirty windows. The cobwebs represent the interpretations and biases accumulated over time which may cloud one's understanding of the text, suggesting that direct engagement with the scripture is necessary for clarity and authenticity.
In practice
This quote could be used in a sermon to emphasize the importance of personal study of the Bible.
The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
A man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Some books leave us free and some books make us free.
It is the responsibility of every adult... to make sure that children hear what we have learned from the lessons of life and to hear over and over that we love them and that they are not alone.
If you can read in the 21st century you own the world.
English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.
The benefits of prison education go beyond lowering recidivism rates and increasing post-release employment. It can also rekindle a sense of purpose and confidence.
Books! I dunno if I ever told you this, but books are the greatest gift one person can give another.
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