Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
And make each day a critic on the last.
Interpretation
The quote encourages self-reflection and continuous improvement by comparing each day to the previous one.
In this quote, Alexander Pope suggests that individuals should evaluate their progress and experiences on a daily basis. Each day serves as a benchmark for growth, prompting an assessment of how one can evolve and better oneself moving forward. This perspective fosters a habit of reflection, allowing individuals to learn from their actions and strive for improvement over time.
In practice
I shared this quote during a motivational talk to inspire students to assess their daily progress.
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?
A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets has no charm for me. If the Union is dissolved and government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people, and save in defense will draw my sword on none.
There are two things that are suited to humble the souls of men, and they are, first, a due consideration of God, and then of themselves - of God, in His greatness, glory, holiness, power, majesty, and authority; of ourselves, in our mean, abject, and sinful condition.
Nobody these days holds the written word in such high esteem as police states do.
Men are not governed by justice, but by law or persuasion. When they refuse to be governed by law or persuasion, they have to be governed by force or fraud, or both.
Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world, and people die of it just as they die of any other disease. Fortunately, in England at any rate, thought is not catching.
Mission [is] understood as being derived from the very nature of God. It [is] thus put in the context of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. The classical doctrine of the missio dei as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit [is] expanded to include yet another βmovementβ: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world.
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