Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity.
Interpretation
Being overly curious about others' affairs can lead to negative consequences.
This quote by Alexander Pope suggests that excessive curiosity about the activities and behaviors of others, particularly in a group setting, can result in unintended harm or backlash. Just as a curious observer of bees might get stung for intruding upon their labor, a person who pries too deeply into the lives or concerns of others might suffer repercussions for their intrusion.
In practice
During a discussion about privacy, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of respecting boundaries.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
The devil is in the details, and everything we do in the military is a detail.
Gratitude develops faith. The surest path out of a slump is marked by the road sign "thank you, God."
Writing is total grunt work. A lot of people think it's all about sitting and waiting for the muse. I don't buy that. It's a job. There are days when I really want to write, days when I don't. Every day I sit down and write.
But because of his telling, many who did not believe have come to believe, and some who did not care have come to care. He tells the story, out of infinite pain, partly to honor the dead, but also to warn the living - to warn the living that it could happen again and that it must never happen again. Better than one heart be broken a thousand times in the retelling, he has decided, if it means that a thousand other hearts need not be broken at all. (vi)
No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself.
I always say that when I see that needle start to go in the other direction, when people have had enough of me, I'm going to be smart enough to say goodbye. It's such a joyous ride to be on top, and it takes away from that ride if you sort of ride it down.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.