There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The greatest act of faith is when a man understands he is not God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Recognizing one's limitations is a profound demonstration of faith.
The quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. suggests that true faith is rooted not in the belief that one possesses all power and control but in the humble acknowledgment of our own limitations and humanity. By understanding that we are not God, we embrace our vulnerabilities and the need for something greater than ourselves, which fosters a deeper connection to faith and existence.
Themes
FaithHumilityUnderstandingLimitationsExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the nature of faith and human existence.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes βOn the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
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Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
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