To follow imperfect, uncertain, or corrupted traditions, in order to avoid erring in our own judgment, is but to exchange one danger for another.
Richard WhatelyRead
A man who gives his children habits of industry provides for them better than by giving them fortune.
Interpretation
Teaching children good work habits is more valuable than giving them wealth.
This quote emphasizes the importance of instilling a strong work ethic in children as a fundamental life skill. Richard Whately suggests that by teaching children industrious habits, parents prepare them for future challenges and success far better than simply providing them with material wealth, which may not teach them important lessons about perseverance and responsibility.
In practice
This quote could be shared in a parenting workshop focused on developing children's life skills.
To follow imperfect, uncertain, or corrupted traditions, in order to avoid erring in our own judgment, is but to exchange one danger for another.
It is one thing to wish to have truth on our side, and another to wish sincerely to be on the side of truth.
He who is not aware of his ignorance will be only misled by his knowledge.
It's extraordinary to think that if you walked into a room and said you had never heard of Hamlet, you would be regarded as a Philistine. But you could walk into the same room and say, 'I don't know what a proton is,' and people would just laugh and say, 'Why should you know?'
Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.
I don't know much about creative writing programs. But they're not telling the truth if they don't teach, one, that writing is hard work and, two, that you have to give up a great deal of life, your personal life, to be a writer.
What are called 'public schools' in many of America's wealthy communities aren't really 'public' at all. In effect, they're private schools, whose tuition is hidden away in the purchase price of upscale homes there, and in the corresponding property taxes.
We’ve educated children to think that spontaneity is inappropriate. Children are willing to expose themselves to experiences. We aren’t. Grownups always say they protect their children, but they’re really protecting themselves. Besides, you can’t protect children. They know everything.
Investing in girls' education is the very best thing we can do, not just for our daughters and granddaughters, but for their families, their communities, and their countries.
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