Seeking is a necessary preliminary to finding, and one who cannot endure the hardship of inquiry cannot expect to harvest the fruit of knowledge.
John Of SalisburyRead
We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.
Interpretation
We benefit from the knowledge and achievements of those who came before us.
This quote highlights the importance of building on the knowledge and accomplishments of previous generations. It suggests that our own understanding and perspective are enhanced by the contributions of others, symbolically represented as 'giants' whose achievements elevate our own standing and insight.
In practice
In a speech about innovation, emphasize how current advancements are built upon the discoveries of past scientists.
Seeking is a necessary preliminary to finding, and one who cannot endure the hardship of inquiry cannot expect to harvest the fruit of knowledge.
It is a modern tragedy that despair has so many spokesmen, and hope so few.
It is very difficult to make really big, important, life-changing decisions because we are all susceptible to a formidable array of decision biases. There are more of them than we realize, and they come to visit us more often than we like to admit.
Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.
That prayer has great power which a person makes with all his might. It makes a sour heart sweet, a sad heart merry, a poor heart rich, a foolish heart wise, a timid heart brave, a sick heart well, a blind heart full of sight, a cold heart ardent. It draws down the great God into the little heart; it drives the hungry soul up into the fullness of God; it brings together two lovers, God and the soul, in a wondrous place where they speak much of love.
No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.
I've always felt that if I examine myself too much, I'll find out what I know and don't know, and I'll burst the bubble. I've gotten so lucky relying on my animal instincts, I'd rather keep a little bit of the animal alive.
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