Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
Of all the causes which conspire to blind Man's erring judgement, and misguide the mind, What the weak head with strongest bias rules, Is PRIDE, the never-failing vice of fools.
Interpretation
Pride can distort judgment and lead to foolish decisions.
In this quote, Alexander Pope illustrates how pride acts as a powerful force that can cloud human judgment and influence decisions. He suggests that pride is a fundamental flaw in humans that often leads them astray, particularly highlighting that it is the foolish who are most susceptible to its sway, causing them to make misguided choices despite their intelligence or reasoning abilities.
In practice
In a discussion about leadership qualities, one might use this quote to emphasize the dangers of pride in decision-making.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
Peace is the precious fruit of a righteous life. It is possible because of the Atonement of the Savior. It is earned through full repentance, for that leads to refreshing forgiveness.
Prejudice is the sole author of infamies: how many acts are so qualified by an opinion forged out of naught but prejudice!
The liberty of man consists solely in this, that he obeys the laws of nature because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been imposed upon him externally by any foreign will whatsoever, human or divine, collective or individual.
All badness is spoiled goodness. A bad apple is a good apple that became rotten. Because evil has no capital of its own, it is a parasite that feeds on goodness.
For He is in the midst of us day and night [in the Blessed Sacrament]; He dwells in us with the fullness of grace and truth. He raises the level of morals, fosters virtue, comforts the sorrowful, strengthens the weak and stirs up all those who draw near to Him to imitate Him, so that they may learn from his example to be meek and humble of heart, and to seek not their own interests but those of God.
Man can embody truth but he cannot know it.
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