Say not always what you know, but always know what you say.
ClaudiusRead
No one is more miserable than the person who wills everything and can do nothing.
Interpretation
Desiring everything without the ability to achieve it leads to deep frustration and misery.
This quote reflects on the internal conflict of wishing for great things while lacking the means or ability to attain them. It emphasizes that having grand desires without the capacity to fulfill them creates a profound sense of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, highlighting the importance of aligning aspirations with one's capabilities.
In practice
This quote can be used to encourage someone who is feeling overwhelmed by their unachievable goals.
Say not always what you know, but always know what you say.
Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Never be so faithful to your plan that you are unwilling to consider the unexpected. Never be so faithful to your plan that you are unwilling to entertain the improbable opportunity that comes looking for you.
Few people can be happy unless they hate some other person, nation, or creed.
If you start thinking war is inevitable, then in your own times, you don't resist it as strongly as you should.
Our best work can't possibly appeal to the average masses, only our average work can. Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don't get it unlocks our ability to do great work.
To try too hard to make people good is one way to make them worse. The only way to make them good is to be good, remembering well the beam and the mote.
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