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.
If you come on a band tense, you're going to play tense. If you come a little bit foolish, act just a little bit foolish, and let yourself go, better ideas will come.
We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
With each book I write, I become more and more convinced that the books have a life of their own, quite apart from me.
The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.
Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.
Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.
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