Certain brief sentences are peerless in their ability to give one the feeling that nothing remains to be said.
Interpretation
Some concise statements encapsulate profound truths, leaving no room for further discussion.
This quote reflects the power of words and the impact of succinct expressions. Jean Rostand suggests that certain brief sentences possess a unique quality that conveys deep meaning, rendering them so complete that they eliminate the need for additional commentary. Such sentences can evoke strong feelings and encapsulate truths that resonate profoundly with people, highlighting the beauty and effectiveness of simplicity in communication.
In practice
During a speech on effective communication, one might quote this to emphasize the power of brevity.
If a given scientist had not made a given discovery, someone else would have done so a little later. Johann Mendel dies unknown after having discovered the laws of heredity: thirty-five years later, three men rediscover them. But the book that is not written will never be written. The premature death of a great scientist delays humanity; that of a great writer deprives it.
My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of other pessimists.
We spend our time envying people whom we wouldn't wish to be.
Stupidity, outrage, vanity, cruelty, iniquity, bad faith, falsehood - we fail to see the whole array when it is facing in the same direction as we.
When a scientist is ahead of his times, it is often through misunderstanding of current, rather than intuition of future truth. In science there is never any error so gross that it won't one day, from some perspective, appear prophetic.
A few great minds are enough to endow humanity with monstrous power, but a few great hearts are not enough to make us worthy of using it.
The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings.
In my experience, every book you write changes the conditions in which you write the next.
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
The best way to find out whether you're on the right path? Stop looking at the path.
The power to think as you wish to think is the only power over which you have absolute control.
The greatest force of personal liberation is the decision to widen our circle of compassion, moving from focus on self to focus on service.
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