Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.
William PennRead
Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Without divine guidance, people risk falling under oppressive rule.
William Penn's quote suggests that human beings require moral and spiritual governance, which he associates with divine authority, to ensure freedom and justice in society. Without such guidance, individuals may succumb to tyranny, where leaders impose their will without ethical considerations, compromising the values of liberty and dignity.
Themes
GovernanceTyrannyDivineFreedomMoral Authority
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of ethical leadership.
More from William Penn
All quotes βWhere thou art Obliged to speak, be sure speak the Truth: For Equivocation is half way to Lying, as Lying, the whole way to Hell.
William PennRead
Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects.
William PennRead
Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
William PennRead
To be a man's own fool is bad enough, but the vain man is everybody's.
William PennRead
Unless virtue guide us our choice must be wrong.
William PennRead
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Now then, Pooh," said Christopher Robin, "where's your boat?" "I ought to say," explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, "that it isn't just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it's a Boat, and sometimes it's more of an Accident. It all depends." "Depends on what?" "On whether I'm on the top of it or underneath it.
A. A. MilneRead
Thou shalt not submit thy god to market forces.
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Our civilization is locked in the grip of an ideology - corporatism. An ideology that denies and undermines the legitimacy of individuals as the citizen in a democracy. The particular imbalance of this ideology leads to a worship of self-interest and a denial of the public good. The practical effects on the individual are passivity and conformism in the areas that matter, and non-conformism in the areas that don't
John Ralston SaulRead
Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead