No man doth think others will be better to him than he is to them.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
Man is a wonder to himself; he can neither govern nor know himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the complex and contradictory nature of human self-understanding and self-governance.
Benjamin Whichcote highlights the paradox of human existence; while individuals are capable of great thought and wonder, they often struggle to comprehend their own motivations and actions. This suggests that self-awareness and governance are challenging aspects of the human experience, raising questions about the nature of identity and personal agency.
Themes
Self-AwarenessHuman NaturePhilosophyIdentitySelf-Governance
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal growth during a workshop, this quote can encapsulate our struggles with self-discovery.
More from Benjamin Whichcote
All quotes βSome things must be good in themselves, else there could be no measure whereby to lay out good and evil.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
Believe things, rather than man.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
Right and truth are greater than any power, and all power is limited by right.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
Conscience without judgment is superstition.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
That power is in vain which is never in use.
Benjamin WhichcoteRead
Similar quotes
I can't for the life of me imagine that God would say, 'I will punish you because you are black; you should have been white. I will punish you because you are a woman; you should have been a man. I punish you because you are homosexual; you ought to have been heterosexual. I can't, I can't for the life of me believe that that is how God sees things.
Desmond TutuRead
The whole theme of Interview with the Vampire was Louis's quest for meaning in a godless world. He searched to find the oldest existing immortal simply to ask, What is the meaning of what we are?
Anne RiceRead
For nothing is more democratic than logic; it is no respecter of persons and makes no distinction between crooked and straight noses.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
I'm really intrigued by those eternal questions of creation and belief and faith. I don't care who you are, it's what we all think about. It's in the back of all our minds.
Ridley ScottRead
...because in a way it happened to someone else. I don't really speak that person's language anymore, and when I think about her, she embarrasses me sometimes, but I don't want to forget her, I don't want to pretend she never existed. So before I start forgetting, I have to get down exactly who she was, and exactly how she felt about everything. She was me a lot longer than I've been me so far.
Peter S. BeagleRead
Death is the wish of some, the relief of many, and the end of all.
Seneca The YoungerRead