A recluse without books and ink is already in life a dead man.
Alfred NobelRead
I intend to leave after my death a large fund for the promotion of the peace idea, but I am skeptical as to its results.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Alfred Nobel expresses his intention to support peace initiatives, while simultaneously questioning their effectiveness.
In this quote, Alfred Nobel reflects on his desire to contribute to the promotion of peace even after his death through a financial legacy. However, he conveys a sense of skepticism regarding the actual impact that such efforts will have, highlighting a common ambivalence about the effectiveness of philanthropic endeavors in addressing complex social issues.
Themes
PeaceLegacySkepticismPhilanthropyIntention
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on philanthropy, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of contributing to noble causes despite uncertainties.
More from Alfred Nobel
All quotes βJustice is to be found only in the imagination.
Alfred NobelRead
Second to agriculture, humbug is the biggest industry of our age.
Alfred NobelRead
The savants will write excellent volumes. There will be laureates. But wars will continue just the same until the forces of the circumstances render them impossible.
Alfred NobelRead
I regard large inherited wealth as a misfortune, which merely serves to dull men's faculties. A man who possesses great wealth should, therefore, allow only a small portion to descend to his relatives. Even if he has children, I consider it a mistake to hand over to them considerable sums of money beyond what is necessary for their education. To do so merely encourages laziness and impedes the healthy development of the individual's capacity to make an independent position for himself.
Alfred NobelRead
A heart can no more be forced to love than a stomach can be forced to digest food by persuasion.
Alfred NobelRead
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For my own part, I have been wont to converse with poverty; and however disagreeable a companion she may be thought to be by the affluent and luxurious, who were never acquainted with her, I can live happily with her the remainder of my life if I can thereby contribute to the redemption of my country.
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If something is right (or wrong) for us, itβs right (or wrong) for others. It follows that if itβs wrong for Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and a long list of others to bomb Washington and New York, then itβs wrong for Rumsfeld to bomb Afghanistan (on much flimsier pretexts), and he should be brought before war crimes trials.
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If goodness has causes, it is not goodness; if it has effects, a reward, it is not goodness either. So goodness is outside the chain of cause and effect.
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Authority and place demonstrate and try the tempers of men, by moving every passion and discovering every frailty.
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The new and terrible dangers which man has created can only be controlled by man.
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