I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell LowellRead
Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.
Interpretation
Actions are more valuable than sentiments.
This quote suggests that while positive feelings and sentiments are significant, they carry less weight than the impact of genuine actions. It highlights the importance of translating feelings into tangible deeds, emphasizing that love and beauty manifest most authentically through meaningful actions rather than mere words or thoughts.
In practice
In a motivational speech, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of taking action.
I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
Good luck is the willing handmaid of upright, energetic character, and conscientious observance of duty.
Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
No matter how much light I carry within me, there will always be times of feeling lost, being confused, seeking direction. It is the way of the human heart.
All the truth in the world is held in stories.
A little lie can travel half way 'round the world while Truth is still lacing up her boots.
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.
The largest question facing the human race is not when will you learn, but when will you act on what you've already learned.
The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
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