O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
The greatest firmness is the greatest mercy.
Interpretation
True strength lies in showing mercy and compassion.
This quote suggests that the most profound expression of strength is not through force or rigidity, but through compassion and understanding. It emphasizes the idea that to be truly firm in one's beliefs or principles often requires the ability to show mercy to others, recognizing their humanity and the complexities of their situations.
In practice
In a speech about conflict resolution.
O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
He who wonders discovers that this in itself is wonder.
Put the argument into a concrete shape, into an image, some hard phrase, round and solid as a ball, which they can see and handle and carry home with them, and the cause is half won.
true humility is when you can surprise yourself more than others; the rest is either shyness or good marketing
Age is no better, hardly so well, qualified for an instructor as youth, for it has not profited so much as it has lost.
Why do people talk of the horrors of old age? It's great. I feel like a fine old car with the parts gradually wearing out, but I'm not complaining,... Those who find growing old terrible are people who haven't done what they wanted with their lives.
If I have any insight at all to contribute it is this: find out what you are really good at and stick to it.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.