We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
OvidRead
People are slow to claim confidence in undertakings of magnitude.
Interpretation
People tend to be cautious in expressing confidence about significant tasks.
This quote by Ovid reflects the natural hesitance individuals feel when faced with large-scale projects or responsibilities. It highlights the importance of recognizing the complexity and potential difficulties associated with substantial endeavors, suggesting that a lack of immediate confidence is a common response when contemplating tasks that carry weighty implications.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming fears of failure.
We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
All things human hang by a slender thread; and that which seemed to stand strong suddenly falls and sinks in ruins.
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
Fas est ab hoste doceri._x000D_ One should learn even from one's enemies.
Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
The end doesn't justify the means.
Apathy is a sort of living oblivion.
Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and wisdom.
Foster and polish the warrior spirit while serving in the world; illuminate the path according to your inner light.
Well done is better than well said.
The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, 'I was wrong'.
True economy consists in always making the income exceed the out-go. Wear the old clothes a little longer if necessary; dispense with the new pair of gloves; mend the old dress: live on plainer food if need be; so that, under all circumstances, unless some unforeseen accident occurs, there will be a margin in favor of the income.
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