Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
There never was a great soul that did not have some divine inspiration.
Interpretation
Great individuals often draw from a source of inspiration that transcends the ordinary.
This quote suggests that throughout history, exceptional individuals, whom we might call 'great souls,' have always been driven or motivated by a higher sense of purpose or divine inspiration. Cicero implies that this inspiration is a fundamental component that distinguishes remarkable people from the rest, highlighting the importance of a deeper connection to something greater than oneself.
In practice
In a graduation speech, emphasizing the importance of pursuing oneβs passions as a source of inspiration.
Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.
Those wars are unjust which are undertaken without provocation. For only a war waged for revenge or defence can actually be just.
Orators are most vehement when their cause is weak.
Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more, than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune.
No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.
Advice in old age is foolish; for what can be more absurd than to increase our provisions for the road the nearer we approach to our journey's end.
Listening to people espouse beliefs different from mine is informative, not threatening, because the only thing that can alter my worldview is a new and undeniable truth, and contrary to what Jack Nicholson says in 'A Few Good Men', "I CAN handle the truth.
The only real valuable thing is intuition.
The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.
Through meditation one has to achieve a dreamless sleep with full alertness. Once this happens, the drop falls into the ocean and becomes the ocean.
When I pontificate, it sounds so, you know, Oh, well, she's preaching. I'm not preaching, but I think maybe I learned it from my animal friends. Kindness and consideration of somebody besides yourself. I think that keeps you feeling young. I really do.
All my life I have risen regularly at four o'clock and have gone into the woods and talked to God. There He gives me my orders for the day.
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