Lord, enlighten thou our enemies. Sharpen their wits, give acuteness to their perceptions, and consecutiveness and clearness to their reasoning powers: we are in danger from their folly, not from their wisdom; their weakness is what fills us with apprehension, not their strength.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that it is the ignorance and folly of our enemies that poses a greater threat than their intelligence or strength.
John Stuart Mill's quote reflects a profound understanding of human nature and conflict. He suggests that it is not the capabilities of our adversaries that we should fear, but rather their lack of wisdom and clarity. By wishing for their enlightenment, Mill proposes that a well-informed and rational opposition may lead to constructive dialogue rather than destructive conflict. This idea challenges the conventional notion that strength and power are the primary concerns in confrontations, instead highlighting the dangers of ignorance.
In practice
During a debate on social issues, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding opposing viewpoints.
The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.
As for charity, it is a matter in which the immediate effect on the persons directly concerned, and the ultimate consequence to the general good, are apt to be at complete war with one another.
To think that because those who wield power in society wield in the end that of government, therefore it is of no use to attempt to influence the constitution of the government by acting on opinion, is to forget that opinion is itself one of the greatest active social forces. One person with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who have only interests.
There should be perfect freedom, legal and social, to do the action and stand the consequences. It would be a great misunderstanding of this doctrine to suppose that it is one of selfish indifference, which pretends that human beings have no business with each other's conduct in life, and that they should not concern themselves about the well-doing or well-being of one another, unless their own interest is involved.
Political Economy, in truth, has never pretended to give advice to mankind with no lights but its own; though people who knew nothing but political economy (and therefore knew it ill) have taken upon themselves to advise, and could only do so by such lights as they had.
Marriage is the only actual bondage known to our law. There remain no legal slaves, except the mistress of every house.
The man who gives way to anger, or hatred, or any other passion, cannot work; he only breaks himself to pieces, and does nothing practical. It is the calm, forgiving, equable, well-balanced mind that does the greatest amount of work.
We have this myth that extroverts are better salespeople. As a result, extroverts are more likely to enter sales; extroverts are more likely to get promoted in sales jobs. But if you look at the correlation between extroversion and actual sales performance - that is, how many times the cash register actually rings - the correlation's almost zero.
Hard work and humility are essential for spiritual sadhana.
We do not know it because we are fooling away our time with outward and perishing things, and are asleep in regard to that which is real within ourself.
But neither of us knows, because a fight's worth nothing if you know from the start that you're going to win it.
Most of my advances were by mistake. You uncover what is when you get rid of what isn't.
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