To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one's reach.
Interpretation
Maturity involves understanding that while we cannot have total control or knowledge, we can still achieve personal growth and meaningful connections with others.
This quote by Sissela Bok highlights the essence of maturity as the recognition of our limitations, acknowledging that complete knowledge, intimacy, and power are unattainable. Instead, true growth and closeness with others are achievable goals, emphasizing the importance of self-transcendence and the development of relationships as fundamental aspects of a fulfilling life.
In practice
In a discussion about personal development, one might say, 'As Sissela Bok pointed out, maturity is realizing our limitations while still seeking closeness with others.'
I believe that a guarantee of public access to government information is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.... if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless.
Liars share with those they deceive the desire not to be deceived.
Trust is a social good to be protected just as much as the air we breathe or the water we drink. When it is damaged, the community as a whole suffers; and when it is destroyed, societies falter and collapse
Are people the best judges of their own happiness, or outsiders? In defining happiness, should we think of entire lives or of shorter periods such as moments, days, or years? And to what extent are virtue and happiness linked?
We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burden it imposes. We learn how it can delight, give breathing space and protect.
Secrecy is as indispensable to human beings as fire, and as greatly feared.
False thinking and false ideologies, dressed in the most pleasing forms, quietly - almost without our knowing it - seek to reduce our moral defenses and to captivate our minds. They entice with bright promises of security, cradle-to-grave guarantees of many kinds.
People are slow to claim confidence in undertakings of magnitude.
If you can't imitate him, don't copy him.
Employers who violate rules of fairness are punished by reduced productivity, and merchants who follow unfair pricing policies can expect to lose sales.
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.
Studies show that aggressively expressing anger doesn't relieve anger but amplifies it. On the other hand, not expressing anger often allows it to disappear without leaving ugly traces.
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