Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote advises caution in embracing new ideas while also suggesting that one shouldnβt cling too tightly to the old.
Alexander Pope's quote reflects a balanced perspective on innovation and tradition, urging individuals to be measured in their approach to new ideas and not to be solely the first to adopt them, while also warning against being resistant to change. It highlights the importance of discernment in adopting innovations and the wisdom of reflection before abandoning established practices.
Themes
InnovationTraditionChangeCautionWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about embracing new technology in the workplace.
More from Alexander Pope
All quotes βWhat dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Alexander PopeRead
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
Alexander PopeRead
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
Alexander PopeRead
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Alexander PopeRead
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
Alexander PopeRead
Similar quotes
Place is security, space is freedom.
Yi-Fu TuanRead
As gun owners, my husband and I understand that the Second Amendment is most at risk when a criminal or deranged person commits a gun crime. These acts only embolden those who oppose gun ownership. Promoting responsible gun laws protects the Second Amendment and reduces lives lost from guns.
Gabrielle GiffordsRead
When he sees little kids sitting in the backseat of cars, in those little car seats that have steering wheels, with grim expressions of concentration on their faces, clearly convinced that their efforts are causing the car to do whatever it is doing, he thinks of himself and his relationship with God: God who drives along silently, gently amused, in the real driver's seat.
Anne LamottRead
Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
We are all ghosts of yesterday, and the phantom of tomorrow awaits us alike in sunshine or in shadow, dimly perceived at times, never entirely lost.
Daphne Du MaurierRead
Puddleglum's my name. But it doesn't matter if you forget it. I can always tell you again.
C. S. LewisRead