It is Chastity, my brother. She that has that is clad in complete steel.
Interpretation
Chastity is a powerful virtue that protects and strengthens one's character.
In this quote, John Milton personifies chastity as a formidable force, suggesting that it serves as both a shield and a source of strength for individuals. By likening chastity to being 'clad in complete steel', he emphasizes its protective qualities, implying that those who value and embody chastity are armoured against moral challenges and temptations.
In practice
During a speech about personal values, one might quote Milton to underline the importance of virtue.
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms: Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon; The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide; They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.
The stars, that nature hung in heaven, and filled their lamps with everlasting oil, give due light to the misled and lonely traveller.
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones.
Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss
The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him.
Apt words have power to suage the tumors of a troubled mind.
It is the sign of a weak mind to be unable to bear wealth.
True opinions can prevail only if the facts to which they refer are known; if they are not known, false ideas are just as effective as true ones, if not a little more effective.
More important than finding the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching.
In our world of big names, curiously, our true heroes tend to be anonymous. In this life of illusion and quasi-illusion, the person of solid virtues who can be admired for something more substantial than his well-knownness often proves to be the unsung hero: the teacher, the nurse, the mother, the honest cop, the hard worker at lonely, underpaid, unglamorous, unpublicized jobs.
All writing is that structure of revelation. There's something you want to find out. If you know everything up front in the beginning, you really don't need to read further if there's nothing else to find out.
Do not look at the faults of what others have done or not done; observe what you yourself have done or not done.
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