In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.
Interpretation
People often overlook the simple and beautiful things in life while striving for lofty goals.
This quote by Albert Schweitzer emphasizes the idea that in our ambition to achieve great things, we often neglect the smaller, yet significant joys and beauty that surround us. It serves as a reminder to appreciate the present and the simple pleasures life offers, rather than solely focusing on distant aspirations.
In practice
Use this quote in a speech about mindfulness and appreciating the present.
I do not want to frighten you by telling you about the temptations life will bring. Anyone who is healthy in spirit will overcome them. But there is something I want you to realize. It does not matter so much what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do. If your soul is harmed, something irreparable happens, the extent of which you won't realize until it will be too late.
Within every patient there resides a doctor, and we as physicians are at our best when we we put our patients in touch with the doctor inside themselves.
By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe.
No one can give a definition of the soul. But we know what it feels like. The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth and beauty. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it--to remain children of light.
The mistake made by all previous systems of ethics has been the failure to recognize that life as such is the mysterious value with which they have to deal. All spiritual life meets us within natural life. Reverence for life, therefore, is applied to natural life and spiritual life alike. In the parable of Jesus, the shepherd saves not merely the soul of the lost sheep but the whole animal. The stronger the reverence for natural life, the stronger grows also that for spiritual life.
The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
Iβm thirty,β I said. βIβm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor
You can close your eyes to the things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel.
Bring forward what is true, Write it so that it is clear, Defend it to your last breath!
It's not enough to do your best; you must know what to do & then do your best.
I have need of angels. Enough hell has swallowed me for too many years. But finally understand this--I have burned up one hundred thousand human lives already, from the strength of my pain.
A creative person has little power over his own life. He is not free. He is captive and driven by his daimon.
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