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Humble because of knowledge; mighty by sacrifice.
Rudyard Kipling
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Knowledge should lead to humility, and true strength is found in self-sacrifice.

This quote by Rudyard Kipling emphasizes that with knowledge comes the responsibility to remain humble, as true wisdom often teaches us the limitations of our understanding. Additionally, it suggests that real power is derived not from arrogance or pride but from the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others, highlighting that true strength lies in selflessness.

Themes

HumilityKnowledgeSacrificeWisdomStrength

In practice

Example use cases

In a graduation speech, a speaker might use this quote to encourage students to remain humble as they enter their professional lives.

More from Rudyard Kipling

We have done with Hope and Honour. we are lost to Love and Truth, We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung; And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth. God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
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Hear and attend and listen; for this is what befell and be-happened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild -as wild as wild could be - and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him
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I keep six honest serving men.
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And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
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Savings represent much more than mere money value. They are the proof that the saver is worth something in himself. Any fool can waste; any fool can muddle; but it takes something more of a man to save and the more he saves the more of a man he makes of himself. Waste and extravagance unsettle a man's mind for every crisis; thrift, which means some form of self-restraint, steadies it.
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Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established.
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