Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
John RuskinRead
The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of greatness lies in the ability to observe the world and share those observations simply and clearly.
This quote emphasizes the importance of perception and clear communication in the human experience. John Ruskin suggests that observing the world around us and articulating those observations in a straightforward manner holds a unique power, akin to art, foresight, and spirituality. The ability to see and conceptualize is rare and precious, as thinking is more common, but true vision is what creates meaning and connection.
Themes
ObservationCommunicationPerceptionClarityUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a speech on the importance of art in expressing reality.
More from John Ruskin
All quotes →In health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them.
John RuskinRead
You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame.
John RuskinRead
To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
John RuskinRead
See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it.
John RuskinRead
A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
John RuskinRead
Similar quotes
When I was doing ensemble theater and comedy work, I felt I had some talents. But when I started doing my shows in Berkeley and found that I could be funny on my own, I was shocked.
Whoopi GoldbergRead
You obviously don't really forget how to play the old songs; you just don't have to spend so much time convincing yourself that you remember them. Way less mental energy is spent swimming around in lyrics you've already written and chords you've already played.
Jeff TweedyRead
To think in terms of what the effect of a story is going to be, as opposed to trying to discover its inner logic, is one of the fundamental dangers in the process.
David MilchRead
Drink wine, drink poetry, drink virtue.
Charles BaudelaireRead
I can’t stand these damn shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!
W. Eugene SmithRead
Too many films today feel formulaic and familiar. I prefer it when the familiar is made to feel strange.
Nicolas RoegRead