The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I'm not mistaken, and I'll never lack priests to serve it as long as there are men.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
He who allows oppression shares the crime.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that complicity in oppression is itself a moral failing.
Desiderius Erasmus points out the moral responsibility of individuals when witnessing oppression. By allowing oppressive actions, one becomes an accomplice, suggesting that silence and inaction in the face of injustice are as culpable as the act of oppression itself. This serves as a call to action for individuals to stand up against injustice rather than remain passive observers.
Themes
OppressionCrimeResponsibilityJusticeAction
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for social justice.
More from Desiderius Erasmus
All quotes βWhen I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
You'll see certain Pythagorean whose belief in communism of property goes to such lengths that they pick up anything lying about unguarded, and make off with it without a qualm of conscience as if it had come to them by law.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
[N]o party is any fun unless seasoned with folly.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
If you look at history you'll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
Fortune favours the audacious.
Desiderius ErasmusRead
Similar quotes
I fight to embrace the entire circle of human activity to the full extent of my ability.
Nikos KazantzakisRead
These illustrations suggest four general maxims[...]. The first is: remember that your motives are not always as altruistic as they seem to yourself. The second is: don't over-estimate your own merits. The third is: don't expect others to take as much interest in you as you do yourself. And the fourth is: don't imagine that most people give enough thought to you to have any special desire to persecute you.
Bertrand RussellRead
Things are never as bad or as good as they seem.
Tony HsiehRead
Hope is not a feeling of certainty that everything ends well. Hope is just a feeling that life and work have a meaning.
Vaclav HavelRead
What is born will die, What has been gathered will be dispersed, What has been accumulated will be exhausted, What has been built up will collapse, And what has been high will be brought low.
Sogyal RinpocheRead
Panic is rare, looting is essentially insignificant, people are not terrified and trampling each other to flee from a disaster scene, but in fact are trying to manage a situation. We may in fact revert to some sort of primordial civility.
Rebecca SolnitRead