Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.
Interpretation
Genius often comes with unconventional thoughts and behaviors.
This quote suggests that extraordinary intellect and creativity often coexist with eccentricity or unconventional thinking. It implies that the greatest minds in history have embraced their unique perspectives, which may appear mad to others, but are essential for innovation and brilliance.
In practice
In a discussion about creativity in art, one might say, 'As Seneca wisely noted, no great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.'
Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.
Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything is organic and living, and therefore the whole world appears to be a living organism.
The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember.
A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.
True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.
A well governed appetite is the greater part of liberty.
It is not because the touch of genius has roused genius to production, but because the admiration of genius has made talent ambitious, that the harvest is still so abundant.
Build the raft of meditation and self-discipline, to carry you across the river. There will be no ocean, and no rising tides to stop you; this is how comfortable your path shall be.
Your capacity to keep your vow will depend on the purity of your life.
Ah, beware of snobbery; it is the unwelcome recognition of one's own past failings.
Suppose, my dear Chadd, suppose it is we who are the idiots because we are not afraid of devils in the dark?
In vain I have looked for a single man capable of seeing his own faults and bringing the charge home against himself.
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