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
Similar quotes
One minute. You know nothing about him. He probably has his own joys and interests- wife, children, snug little home. That's where we practical fellows'- he smiled-'are more tolerant than you intellectuals. We live and let live, and assume that things are jogging on fairly well elsewhere, and that the ordinary plain man may be trusted to look after his own affairs.
E. M. ForsterRead
As I look back at the entire tapestry of my life, I can see from the perspective of the present moment that every aspect of my life was necessary and perfect. Each step eventually led to a higher place, even though these steps often felt like obstacles or painful experiences.
Wayne DyerRead
Terrorism has become a festering wound. It is an enemy of humanity.
Atal Bihari VajpayeeRead
Forces of nature act in a mysterious manner. We can but solve the mystery by deducing the unknown result from the known results of similar events.
Mahatma GandhiRead
People destined to meet will do so, apparently by chance, at precisely the right moment.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards
Walter BagehotRead