Never promise more than you can perform.
Publilius SyrusRead
He is a despicable sage whose wisdom does not profit himself.
Interpretation
True wisdom should benefit both the wise person and others around them.
This quote highlights the importance of wisdom being practical and beneficial. It implies that a person who possesses wisdom but fails to use it to improve their own life or the lives of others is not truly wise, but rather, despicable. The underlying message is that wisdom should lead to positive outcomes and enrichment for oneself and for society.
In practice
In a motivational speech about the importance of applying knowledge practically.
Never promise more than you can perform.
Pain forces even the innocent to lie.
In a heated argument we are apt to lose sight of the truth.
Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.
What a tragedy is help where it harms what it supports!
The miser is as much in want of what he has as of what he has not.
Be like a flower that gives its fragrance even to the hand that crushed it.
Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?
This world is run with far too tight a rein for luck to interfere. Fortune sells her wares; she never gives them. In some form or other, we pay for her favors; or we go empty away.
Wisdom and compassion should become the dominating influences that guide our thoughts , our words, and our actions.
You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.
Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself.
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