Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.
Interpretation
Character and moral strength are more important than merely having intelligence.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes that true greatness lies in one's character, which shapes how we live and act, rather than just our intellectual capabilities. A person of strong character possesses the ability to think deeply and live a life of integrity, demonstrating that moral values are foundational to a fulfilling existence.
In practice
In a motivational speech about leadership, one might cite this quote to highlight the importance of integrity.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Self-disciplined begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.
IMPROVIDENCE, n. Provision for the needs of to-day from the revenues of to-morrow.
The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
The best of modern therapy is much like a process of shared meditation, where therapist and client sit together, learning to pay close attention to those aspects and dimensions of the self that the client may be unable to touch on his or her own.
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