We ought not to extract pernicious honey from poison blossoms of misrepresentation and mendacious half-truth, to pamper the course appetite of bigotry and self-love.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
If a man is not rising upward to be an angel, depend on it, he is sinking downward to be a devil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that individuals either strive for goodness or risk descending into evil.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's quote posits a dual nature of human existence, implying that people are inherently on a path either toward virtue and enlightenment, akin to becoming an 'angel', or toward moral decay, represented by the 'devil'. The metaphor speaks to the constant struggle between good and evil within each person and emphasizes the importance of actively pursuing a positive and noble life. It serves as a reminder that stagnation can lead to deterioration of character.
Themes
GoodnessEvilMoralStruggleCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about personal development.
More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge
All quotes βCommon sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
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Often do the spirits stride on before the event; and in today already walks tomorrow.
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Mr. Lyell's system of geology is just half the truth, and no more. He affirms a great deal that is true, and he denies a great deal which is equally true; which is the general characteristic of all systems not embracing the whole truth.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
To believe and to understand are not diverse things, but the same things in different periods of growth.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
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