Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern.
R. Buckminster FullerRead
Those who play with the devil's toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword.
Interpretation
Engaging in unethical or harmful activities can lead to greater consequences than initially anticipated.
This quote by R. Buckminster Fuller suggests that when individuals involve themselves in dubious or malevolent pursuits ('the devil's toys'), they may gradually become more entangled in these activities, ultimately facing dire consequences ('wield his sword'). It serves as a warning about the slippery slope of engaging with immoral choices and the inevitable repercussions that follow.
In practice
This quote can be used during a seminar on ethical decision-making in business.
Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern.
There is no such thing as genius, some children are just less damaged than others.
Only the free-wheeling artist-explorer, non-academic, scientist-philosopher, mechanic, economist-poet who has never waited for patron-starting and accrediting of his co-ordinate capabilities holds the prime initiative today.
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true
The earth is like a spaceship that didn't come with an operating manual.
The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
Tomorrow may never come to us. We do not live in tomorrow. We cannot find it in any of our title-deeds. The man who owns whole blocks of real estate, and great ships on the sea, does not own a single minute of tomorrow. Tomorrow! It is a mysterious possibility, not yet born. It lies under the seal of midnight-behind the veil of glittering constellations.
What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.
Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.
Sometimes we don't even realize what we really care about, because we get so distracted by the symbols.
By binding image and desire, glamour gives us pleasure, even as it heightens our yearning. It leads us to feel that the life we dream of exists, and to desire it even more.
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