For tyme ylost may nought recovered be.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
. . . if gold rust, what then will iron do?/ For if a priest be foul in whom we trust/ No wonder that a common man should rust. . . .
Interpretation
If those we look up to are flawed, it’s no surprise that common people struggle too.
Geoffrey Chaucer's quote highlights the influence of role models on society. It suggests that when those in positions of trust and authority, such as priests, exhibit flaws or corruption, it serves as a poor example for others, leading to a general decline in moral standards. The metaphor of gold rusting symbolizes the deterioration of virtue among the supposed paragons of society, implying that if even the finest can tarnish, it is expected that the average person may also falter.
In practice
A leader in a community is under scrutiny; this quote illustrates the importance of integrity.
For tyme ylost may nought recovered be.
For in their hearts doth Nature stir them so Then people long on pilgrimage to go And palmers to be seeking foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands.
If gold rusts, what then can iron do?
Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space_x000D_ _x000D_ Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience,_x000D_ _x000D_ That neither by hir wordes ne hir face_x000D_ _x000D_ Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence,_x000D_ _x000D_ Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.
Ther nis no werkman, whatsoevere he be, That may bothe werke wel and hastily.
For oute of olde feldys, as men sey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe corn from yer to yere;_x000D_ _x000D_ And out of olde bokis, in good fey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe science that men lere.
I always want to tell these young idealists that the world is not as dangerous as many in the older generation want them to believe...The [people] for whom I feel the greatest sadness are the ones who choke on their beliefs, who never act on their ideals, who never know the state of struggle in a decent cause, and never know the thrill of even partial victories.
Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it.
Worry - a God, invisible but omnipotent. It steals the bloom from the cheek and lightness from the pulse; it takes away the appetite, and turns the hair gray.
First appearance deceives many.
We suffer a lot the few things we lack and we enjoy too little the many things we have.
No one knows you better than you know yourself. Do the thing you want. Don't wait for someone else
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