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?
A computational device is incapable of developing a mind. We got consciousness not just by being clever.
Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.
Jews can live their own life as Jews and yet be part of a different country.
There is nothing that God hath established in a constant course of nature, and which therefore is done every day, but would seem a Miracle, and exercise our admiration, if it were done but once.
Our Heavenly Father has provided many delightful inns for us along our journey, but he takes great care to see that we do not mistake any of them for home.
Tout est poison, rien n'est poison, tout est une question de dose. Everything is poisonous, nothing is poisonous, it is all a matter of dose.
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