We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
OvidRead
Gifts, believe me, captivate both men and Gods, Jupiter himself was won over and appeased by gifts.
Interpretation
Gifts have the power to influence and persuade both people and divine beings.
This quote by Ovid emphasizes the profound impact that gifts and offerings can have on relationships and interactions. It suggests that both humans and deities, such as Jupiter, can be swayed or appeased through the act of giving, highlighting the importance of generosity and the social dynamics of gift-giving in fostering goodwill and connection.
In practice
During a wedding speech, I would use this quote to highlight the importance of thoughtful gifts in building relationships.
We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
All things human hang by a slender thread; and that which seemed to stand strong suddenly falls and sinks in ruins.
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
Fas est ab hoste doceri._x000D_ One should learn even from one's enemies.
Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
The end doesn't justify the means.
I turn to right and left, in all the earth I see no signs of justice, sense or worth: A man does evil deeds, and all his days Are filled with luck and universal praise; Another's good in all he does - he dies A wretched, broken man whom all despise.
The past exists only in our memories, the future only in our plans. The present is our only reality. The tree that you are aware of intellectually, because of that small time lag, is always in the past and therefore is always unreal. Any intellectually conceived object is always in the past and therefore unreal. Reality is always the moment of vision before the intellectualization takes place. There is no other reality.
Roughly speaking, I think it's accurate to say that a corporate elite of managers and owners governs the economy and the political system as well, at least in very large measure.
I was anti-everything and everyone. I didn't want people around me. This aversion was not some big crippling anxiety; merely a mature recognition of my own psychological vulnerability and my lack of suitability as a companion. Thoughts jostled for space in my crowded brain as i struggled to give them some order which might serve to motivate my listless life.
You can't judge an internal injury by the size of the hole.
Judges should be in the business of declaring what the law is using the traditional tools of interpretation, rather than pronouncing the law as they might wish it to be in light of their own political views.
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