Less glory is more liberty. When the drum is silent, reason sometimes speaks.
Interpretation
True freedom often requires relinquishing the desire for fame and recognition.
Albert Pike's quote suggests a profound connection between glory and liberty, implying that in the absence of the noise of fame and recognition, one can experience true freedom. It indicates that in moments of silence, away from the clamor of accolades, rational thought and true understanding can emerge, leading to a more liberated state of being.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a discussion about the importance of self-awareness in leadership.
He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current... Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.
Let us drink together, fellows, as we did in days of yore. And still enjoy the golden hours that Fortune has in store; The absent friends remembered be, in all thatβs sung or said, And Love immortal consecrate the memory of the dead.
War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.
Two forms of government are favorable to the prevalence of falsehood and deceit. Under a Despotism, men are false, treacherous, and deceitful through fear, like slaves dreading the lash. Under a Democracy they are so as a means of attaining popularity and office, and because of the greed for wealth.
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
Philosophy is a kind of journey, ever learning yet never arriving at the ideal perfection of truth.
For years, I prayed to the gods of Cao Dai for healing and peace. But as one prayer after another went unanswered, it became clear that either they were nonexistent or they did not care to lend a hand.
For the beginning is assuredly the end- since we know nothing, pure and simple, beyond our own complexities.
We are reassured almost as foolishly as we are alarmed; human nature is so constituted.
A distracted existence leads us to no goal
He that buildeth his nest upon a Divine promise shall find it abide and remain until he shall fly away to the land where promises are lost in fulfillments.
When people accept breaking the law as normal, something happens to the whole society.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.