Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.
William GodwinRead
It is one of the oldest maxims of moral prudence: Do not, by aspiring to what is impracticable, lose the opportunity of doing the good you can effect!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focus on achievable good instead of pursuing unrealistic aspirations.
This quote emphasizes the importance of practicality in moral decision-making. It suggests that while it is admirable to aim for high ideals, one should not become so absorbed in these lofty goals that they neglect the beneficial actions they can realistically undertake in the present.
Themes
PracticalityMoralityAspirationGoodAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about community service, I could use this quote to inspire attendees to take action rather than get lost in unattainable goals.
More from William Godwin
All quotes →When the calamity we feared is already arrived, or when the expectation of it is so certain as to shut out hope, there seems to be a principle within us by which we look with misanthropic composure on the state to which we are reduced, and the heart sullenly contracts and accommodates itself to what it most abhorred.
William GodwinRead
He has no right to his life when his duty calls him to resign it. Other men are bound... to deprive him of life or liberty, if that should appear in any case to be indispensably necessary to prevent a greater evil.
William GodwinRead
What are gold and jewels and precious utensils? Mere dross and dirt. The human face and the human heart, reciprocations of kindness and love, and all the nameless sympathies of our nature - these are the only objects worth being attached to.
William GodwinRead
Extraordinary circumstances often bring along with them extraordinary strength. No man knows, till the experiment, what he is capable of effecting.
William GodwinRead
Power is not happiness. Security and peace are more to be desired than a name at which nations tremble.
William GodwinRead
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I have great respect for the semicolon; it is a mighty handy little fellow.
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