Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
What is grand is necessarily obscure to weak men. That which can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care.
Interpretation
Great ideas can be lost on those who lack the understanding to appreciate them.
William Blake suggests that profound and noble concepts are often beyond the comprehension of the less intellectually inclined. He implies that ideas that can be easily understood are trivial and not deserving of serious consideration or concern. This quote reflects the belief that true greatness is often misunderstood or overlooked by those who do not possess the requisite insight or depth of understanding.
In practice
During a discussion about creativity at a conference, one could use this quote to emphasize the depth of artistic expression.
Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
We must quit bending the Word to suit our situation. It is we who must be bent to that Word, our necks that must bow under the yoke.
With awareness there comes choice. And so you are able to say: "I allow this moment to be as it is". And then, suddenly, where before there was irritation, there is now a sense of aliveness and peace. And out of that comes right action.
The persecution of genius fosters its influence.
Words people say not only have a shelf life but have the ability to shape life.
If you have a temper, now is the time to learn to control it. The more you do so while you are young, the more easily it will happen.
We thought we were being mature when we were only being safe. We imagined we were being responsible but were only being cowardly. What we called realism turned out to be a way of avoiding things rather than facing them.
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