I saw within Its depth how It conceives_x000D_ _x000D_ All things in a single volume bound by Love_x000D_ _x000D_ of which the universe is the scattered leaves.
Dante AlighieriRead
Mankind is at its best when it is most free. This will be clear if we grasp the principle of liberty. We must recall that the basic principle is freedom of choice, which saying many have on their lips but few in their minds.
Interpretation
True human flourishing occurs when individuals have the freedom to make their own choices.
This quote emphasizes the importance of liberty and personal choice in achieving the best of humanity. Dante Alighieri points out that while people often speak of freedom, few genuinely understand its significance, suggesting that true freedom allows for personal growth, responsibility, and the exercise of one’s will, leading to a better society.
In practice
In a speech about democracy, one might quote Dante to highlight the importance of individual freedom.
I saw within Its depth how It conceives_x000D_ _x000D_ All things in a single volume bound by Love_x000D_ _x000D_ of which the universe is the scattered leaves.
Before me things created were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I endure. All hope abandon, ye who enter here.
The customs and fashions of men change like leaves on the bough, some of which go and others come.
Heaven wheels above you, displaying to you her eternal glories, and still your eyes are on the ground.
Pride, envy, avarice - these are the sparks have set on fire the hearts of all men.
Thus you may understand that love alone is the true seed of every merit in you, and of all acts for which you must atone.
It was a time when only the dead smiled, happy in their peace.
In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.
You can't carve up the world. It's not a pie.
I am one who has been acquainted with the night
What is unusual about Earth is that language, literally, has become alive. It has infested matter. It is replicating and defining and building itself. And it is in us.
We are not determined by our experiences, but are self-determined by the meaning we give to them; and when we take particular experiences as the basis for our future life, we are almost certain to be misguided to some degree. Meanings are not determined by situations. We determine ourselves by the meanings we ascribe to situations.
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