How seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves.
Thomas A KempisRead
Learn to humble yourself, you are but earth and clay.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of humility and recognizing one's humble origins.
Thomas A Kempis suggests that individuals should cultivate humility, reminding us that we are fundamentally made from simple elements, like earth and clay, highlighting our vulnerability and shared human condition. This serves as a call to step back from arrogance and acknowledge our limitations and the transient nature of life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might reference this quote to encourage humility in leadership.
How seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves.
He will easily be content and at peace, whose conscience is pure.
Trust not to your feelings for whatever they might be now, they will quickly be changed towards some other thing.
Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.
Anyone who thinks hard work will never hurt you has never had to pay to have it done. Jesus now has many lovers of his Heavenly Kingdom, but few bearers of his cross.
He has great tranquillity of heart who cares neither for the praises nor the fault-finding of men. He will easily be content and pacified, whose conscience is pure. You are not holier if you are praised, nor the more worthless if you are found fault with. What you are, that you are; neither by word can you be made greater than what you are in the sight of God.
You yourself are the teacher, and the pupil, you're the master, you're the guru, you are the leader, you are everything! And, to understand is to transform what is.
This is the precept by which I have lived: Prepare for the worst; expect the best; and take what comes.
Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.
In building a path through the self to the far shore of awareness, we have to carefully pick our way through our own wilderness. If we can put our minds into a place of surrender, we will have an easier time feeling the contours of the land. We do not have to break our way through as much as we have to find our way around the major obstacles. We do not have to cure every neurosis, we just have to learn how not to be caught by them.
The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out.
I really wasn't equipped to be a writer when I left Oxford. But then I set out to learn. I've always had the highest regard for the craft. I've always felt it was work.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.