We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
OvidRead
Man looks aloft, and with erected eyes Beholds his hereditary skies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on humanity's aspiration and connection to their origins or heritage.
In this quote, Ovid suggests that people naturally look upwards, symbolizing hope and ambition, while simultaneously acknowledging their roots and lineage. The 'hereditary skies' imply that our dreams and aspirations are deeply intertwined with the histories and legacies passed down through generations, encouraging us to strive for greatness while recognizing the influence of our ancestors.
Themes
AspirationHeritageDreamsHumanityHope
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a graduation speech to inspire students to look towards their future while honoring their background.
More from Ovid
All quotes βAll things human hang by a slender thread; and that which seemed to stand strong suddenly falls and sinks in ruins.
OvidRead
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
OvidRead
Fas est ab hoste doceri._x000D_ One should learn even from one's enemies.
OvidRead
Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
OvidRead
The end doesn't justify the means.
OvidRead
Similar quotes
Reach me a gentian, give me a torch! Let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of a flower down the darker and darker stairs, where blue is darkened on blueness even where Persephone goes, just now, from the frosted September to the sightless realm where darkness is awake upon the dark.
D. H. LawrenceRead
Perhaps you considered yourself an oracle, Mouthpiece of the dead, or of some god or other. Thirty years now I have labored To dredge the silt from your throat. I am none the wiser.
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The threat of China is not military. The threat of China is they can't be intimidated. Europe you can intimidate. When the US tries to get people to stop investing in Iran, European companies pull out, China disregards it. You look at history and understand why - they've been around for 4,000 years, they have contempt for the barbarians, they just don't give a damn.
Noam ChomskyRead
Hours and days and months and years go by; the past returns no more, and what is to be we cannot know; but whatever the time gives us in which we live, we should therefore be content.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Human life must always be defended from its beginning in the womb and must be recognised as a gift of God that guarantees the future of humanity.
Pope FrancisRead
I'd like to be born the son of a duke with 90,000 pounds a year, on an enormous estate.... And I'd like to have the most enormous library, and I'd like to think that I could read those books forever and forever, and die unlamented, unknown, unsung, unhonored - and packed with information.
Richard Francis BurtonRead