Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
Men are admitted into heaven not because they have curbed and governed their passions or have no passions, but because they have cultivated their understandings. The treasures of heaven are not negations of passion, but realities of intellect, from which all the passions emanate uncurbed in their eternal glory.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that true enlightenment comes from understanding rather than suppressing one's passions.
William Blake suggests that entry into heaven is not based on the control of one's desires, but rather on the cultivation of the intellect. He believes that the treasures of heaven arise from a deep knowledge and understanding, allowing passions to flourish in a way that is harmonious and uninhibited, highlighting the importance of intellect over mere emotional restraint.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of education, one might say this quote to highlight the role of knowledge in personal development.
Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
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.
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I am persuaded, you will permit me to observe, that the path of true piety is so plain as to require but little political direction.
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When the world smiles upon us, and we have got a warm nest, how do we prophesy of rest and peace in those acquisitions, thinking with good Baruch, great things for ourselves, but Providence by a particular or general calamity overturns our plans (Jer. 45:4,5), and all this to turn our hearts from the creature to God.
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