Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Stagnation in thoughts can lead to harmful ideas, just as stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for pests.
William Blake argues that a person who is never willing to change their opinions is akin to standing water, which is lifeless and can foster unpleasant creatures. This metaphor highlights the danger of intellectual stagnation, suggesting that evolving oneβs thoughts and views is vital for mental and spiritual health.
Themes
OpinionsChangeIntellectual StagnationGrowthPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate about important social issues, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for open-mindedness.
More from William Blake
All quotes βIn seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
William BlakeRead
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
William BlakeRead
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
William BlakeRead
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
William BlakeRead
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
William BlakeRead
Similar quotes
Truth will have no gods before it.- The belief in truth begins with the doubt of all truths in which one has previously believed.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts. Have we put a sign on the door saying: 'Do not disturb'?
Pope FrancisRead
While sin is overflowing, [grace] pours itself forth so exuberantly, that it not only overcomes the flood of sin, but wholly absorbs it.
John CalvinRead
Everything around me is evaporating. My whole life, my memories, my imagination and its contents, my personality - it's all evaporating. I continuously feel that I was someone else, that I felt something else, that I thought something else. What I'm attending here is a show with another set. And the show I'm attending is myself.
Fernando PessoaRead
Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land? All fear, none aid you, and few understand.
Alexander PopeRead
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
Steve JobsRead