The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
Doctrine is nothing but the skin of truth set up and stuffed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that doctrines can often be superficial, masking the deeper truths within.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote highlights the idea that doctrines, while they may appear to hold truth, can often be mere shells that lack the substance of genuine understanding. This statement invites us to critically examine the beliefs and systems we may take for granted, prompting a search for deeper meaning beyond established norms.
Themes
DoctrineTruthWisdomBeliefUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about critical thinking, this quote can illustrate the importance of questioning accepted beliefs.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes →A man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
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No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
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We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
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No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
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There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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