It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.
William Ellery ChanningRead
The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.
Interpretation
Government should facilitate the conditions for individuals to pursue their own happiness rather than provide happiness directly.
This quote emphasizes the belief that the role of government is not to provide happiness to its citizens but rather to create an environment where people can pursue their own paths to happiness. It suggests that true happiness is a personal endeavor and that individuals must have the freedom and opportunity to define and achieve it on their own.
In practice
In a discussion about the role of government at a community meeting, one might refer to this quote to highlight the importance of creating opportunities for citizens.
It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.
No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent.
I laugh, for hope hath a happy place with me; If my boat sinks, 'tis to another sea.
We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.
Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.
He who is false to the present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and you will see the effect when the weaving of a life-time is unraveled.
I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.
[...] to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity
Pittsburgh isn't fancy, but it is real. It's a working town and money doesn't come easy. I feel as much a part of this city as the cobblestone streets and the steel mills, people in this town expect an honest day's work, and I've it to them for a long, long time.
Yet food is something that is taken for granted by most world leaders despite the fact that more than half of the population of the world is hungry.
That's all an angel is....an idea of God.
He that fails in his endeavors after wealth or power will not long retain either honesty or courage.
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