Even if there were only two men left in the world and both of them saints they wouldn't be happy. One them would be bound to try and improve the other. That is the nature of things.
Frank O'ConnorRead
All I know from my own experience is that the more loss we feel the more grateful we should be for whatever it was we had to lose. It means that we had something worth grieving for. The ones I'm sorry for are the ones that go through life not knowing what grief is.
Interpretation
Experiencing loss leads to greater appreciation for what we had.
In this quote, Frank O'Connor reflects on the relationship between loss and gratitude, suggesting that feeling grief is a sign of having had meaningful experiences and connections in life. He posits that the people who traverse through life without experiencing grief miss out on the depth of love and attachment that gives life its value.
In practice
During a speech about resilience after loss, this quote could inspire others to find value in their grief.
Even if there were only two men left in the world and both of them saints they wouldn't be happy. One them would be bound to try and improve the other. That is the nature of things.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.
Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away. It is the putrefaction of stagnant life, and is remedied by exercise and motion.
I don't underrate the value of military knowledge, but if men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail.
Filth and old age, I'm sure you will agree, are powerful wardens upon chastity.
I do not want to be admired. I want to give, to be given, and solitude in which to unfold my possessions.
Temperance and labor are the two real physicians of man.
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