Man, in spite of his fatal degradation, bears always the evident marks of his divine origin, in that every universal belief is always more or less true.
Man in harmony with his Creator is sublime, and his action is creative; equally, once he separates himself from God and acts alone, he does not cease to be powerful, since this is the privilege of his nature, but his acts are negative and lead only to destruction.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's alignment with their Creator fosters creativity, while separation leads to negative actions and destruction.
This quote from Joseph De Maistre underscores the idea that being in harmony with a higher purpose or Creator enhances a person's ability to create positively in the world. In contrast, when an individual acts independently and separates from this connection, their inherent power can still manifest, but it tends to result in destructive outcomes instead of constructive ones.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of spiritual connection, one might say, 'As Joseph De Maistre wisely noted, being in harmony with our Creator enhances our creativity.'
More from Joseph De Maistre
All quotes →Man is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not. People complain of the despotism of princes; they ought to complain of the despotism of man.
A constitution that is made for all nations is made for none.
False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime without knowing what they are doing.
Reason speaks in words alone, but love has a song.
Wherever an altar is found, there civilization exists.
Similar quotes
If what we need to dream, to move our spirits most deeply and directly toward and through promise, is discounted as a luxury, then we give up the core -- the fountain -- of our power, our womanness; we give up the future of our worlds. (From "Poetry is Not a Luxury")
In his dream she was sick and he cared for her. The dream bore the look of sacrifice but he thought differently. He did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark and there is no other dream nor other waking world and there is no other tale to tell.
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
In justifying cruelty to animals we put ourselves also on the animal level. We choose the jungle and must abide by our choice.
Regarded in isolation, an idea may be quite insignificant, and venturesome in the extreme, but it may acquire importance from an idea which follows it; perhaps, in a certain collocation with other ideas, which may seem equally absurd, it may be capable of furnishing a very serviceable link.
I do not believe there is an atheist in the world who would bulldoze Mecca-or Chartres, York Minster or Notre Dame, the Shwe Dagon, the temples of Kyoto or, of course, the Buddhas of Bamiyan.