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.
There are many ways to calm a negative energy without suppressing or fighting it. You recognize it, you smile to it, and you invite something nicer to come up and replace it; you read some inspiring words, you listen to a piece of beautiful music, you go somewhere in nature, or you do some walking meditation.
You always pay too much. Particularly for promises. There aint no such thing as a bargain promise.
It is the privilege of genius that life never grows common place, as it does for the rest of us.
There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.
The best stock a man can invest in, is the stock of a farm; the best shares are plow shares; and the best banks are the fertile banks of a rural stream; the more these are broken the better dividends they pay.
Whenever we hear an opinion and believe it, we make an agreement, and it becomes part of our belief system.
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