Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.
William GodwinRead
When the calamity we feared is already arrived, or when the expectation of it is so certain as to shut out hope, there seems to be a principle within us by which we look with misanthropic composure on the state to which we are reduced, and the heart sullenly contracts and accommodates itself to what it most abhorred.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on human resilience in the face of unavoidable misfortune.
William Godwin's quote explores the psychological response to calamity, suggesting that once we face a feared situation, we adopt a stoic acceptance, even if we initially dread it. It emphasizes how the human heart has the capacity to adjust to unpleasant realities, showcasing a complex relationship between hope, despair, and acceptance.
Themes
CalamityResilienceAcceptanceHopeDespair
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about facing fears, this quote can illustrate how we often adapt when faced with difficult situations.
More from William Godwin
All quotes →It is one of the oldest maxims of moral prudence: Do not, by aspiring to what is impracticable, lose the opportunity of doing the good you can effect!
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He has no right to his life when his duty calls him to resign it. Other men are bound... to deprive him of life or liberty, if that should appear in any case to be indispensably necessary to prevent a greater evil.
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What are gold and jewels and precious utensils? Mere dross and dirt. The human face and the human heart, reciprocations of kindness and love, and all the nameless sympathies of our nature - these are the only objects worth being attached to.
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Extraordinary circumstances often bring along with them extraordinary strength. No man knows, till the experiment, what he is capable of effecting.
William GodwinRead
Power is not happiness. Security and peace are more to be desired than a name at which nations tremble.
William GodwinRead
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