Debt, grinding debt, whose iron face the widow, the orphan, and the sons of genius fear and hate; debt, which consumes so much time, which so cripples and disheartens a great spirit with cares that seem so base, is a preceptor whose lessons cannot be foregone, and is needed most by those who suffer from it most.
Interpretation
Debt is a burdensome force that affects people's lives deeply, teaching hard lessons to those who endure it.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson reflects on the oppressive nature of debt, portraying it as a serious issue that not only impacts the lives of individuals like widows and orphans but also stifles the creativity and potential of talented individuals. He suggests that while debt can be a harsh teacher, its lessons are particularly relevant to those who suffer from financial hardship, emphasizing its significant influence on human experience and the psyche.
In practice
During a financial seminar, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding the impact of debt.
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?
Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value.
From tender youth we are told by father and teacher that betrayal is the most heinous offence imaginable. But what is betrayal? Betrayal means breaking ranks and breaking off into the unknown. Sabina knew of nothing more magnificent than going off into the unknown.
This is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.
Clever gimmicks of mass distraction yield a cheap soulcraft of addicted and self-medicated narcissists.
Under the comb, the tangle and the straight path are the same.
Conservatives and liberals understand the Christian faith as a set of ideas because, so understood, Christianity seems to be a set of beliefs assessable to anyone upon reflection.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.