QuoteProject
That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.
Marcus Aurelius
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

What harms the community ultimately harms the individuals within it.

This quote by Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the interconnectedness of individual well-being and the well-being of the community. It suggests that actions and decisions that negatively impact the collective are detrimental to every member; thus, the health of society and individuals is intertwined, highlighting the importance of making choices that benefit not only oneself but also the larger group.

Themes

CommunityWell-BeingInterconnectednessCollective GoodHarmony

In practice

Example use cases

In a community meeting discussing environmental initiatives, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of collective action.

More from Marcus Aurelius

I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.
Marcus AureliusRead
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus AureliusRead
Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.
Marcus AureliusRead
Vex not thy spirit at the course of things; they heed not thy vexation. How ludicrous and outlandish is astonishment at anything that may happen in life.
Marcus AureliusRead
You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you. Things can't shape our decisions by themselves.
Marcus AureliusRead
A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
Marcus AureliusRead

Similar quotes

A steady patriot of the world alone, The friend of every country but his own.
George CanningRead
It's been unsettling to discover that every form of narrative, even one that purports to tell the truth, is a kind of lying.
Damon GalgutRead
Where I am, I don't know, I'll never know, in the silence you don't know, you must go on, I can't go on, I'll go on.
Samuel BeckettRead
Conservatives reveal themselves through their care for ordinary human things, and their recognition of the fragility of decency and the need to protect it.
Roger ScrutonRead
...no-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away... The span of someone's life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.
Terry PratchettRead
I always say that people should not rush to change religions. There is real value in finding the spiritual resources you need in your home religion.
Dalai LamaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.