Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.
William PennRead
If you protect a man from folly, you will soon have a nation of fools.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Overprotection from mistakes can lead to ignorance and folly in a society.
William Penn's quote suggests that shielding individuals from their own mistakes or the consequences of their actions can prevent them from learning and growing. When people are not allowed to face the results of their folly, they do not develop the wisdom necessary to make better choices, resulting in a society that lacks critical thinking and maturity.
Themes
FollyWisdomLearningMistakesGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about education, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of allowing students to learn from their mistakes.
More from William Penn
All quotes βWhere thou art Obliged to speak, be sure speak the Truth: For Equivocation is half way to Lying, as Lying, the whole way to Hell.
William PennRead
Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects.
William PennRead
Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
William PennRead
To be a man's own fool is bad enough, but the vain man is everybody's.
William PennRead
Unless virtue guide us our choice must be wrong.
William PennRead
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I have not much patience with a certain class of Christians nowadays who will hear anybody preach so long as they can say, 'He is very clever, a fine preacher, a man of genius, a born orator.' Is cleverness to make false doctrine palatable? Why, sirs, to me the ability of a man who preaches error is my sorrow rather than my admiration.
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