The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
When a man sells eleven ounces for twelve, he makes a compact with the devil, and sells himself for the value of an ounce.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote warns against dishonesty and moral compromise for the sake of profit.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote illustrates how engaging in deceitful practices, even for a small gain, can lead to moral corruption. Selling less than what one claims, symbolized by 'selling eleven ounces for twelve,' signifies a compromise of integrity, suggesting that even a minor act of dishonesty diminishes one's worth as a person, equating to selling one's soul for trivial gain.
Themes
IntegrityHonestyDeceitMoral CompromiseProfit
In practice
Example use cases
In a business ethics lecture, this quote can highlight the importance of honesty in transactions.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes →A man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
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No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
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We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
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No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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