A great empire and little minds go ill together.
Edmund BurkeRead
I dread our own power, and our own ambition; I dread our being too much dreaded... We may say that we shall not abuse this astonishing, and hitherto unheard-of-power. But every other nation will think we shall abuse it. It is impossible but that, sooner or later, this state of things must produce a combination against us which may end in our ruin.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the fear of power and ambition, emphasizing the risk of being perceived as a threat by others due to one's own capabilities.
In this quote, Edmund Burke expresses the tension between the pursuit of power and the accompanying fears it invokes. He suggests that while one may intend to use power responsibly, the perception of that power by others can lead to suspicion and hostility. Ultimately, he warns that this dynamic could result in a coalition against the powerful, threatening their downfall.
In practice
In a discussion about the responsibilities of leadership during a conference on governance.
A great empire and little minds go ill together.
To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
The hottest fires in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.
Society can overlook murder, adultery or swindling; it never forgives preaching of a new gospel.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
I found this out over the years, that racism is a thinly veiled disguise over economics and money. It really is.
There is not a moment in which God does not present Himself under the cover of some pain to be endured, of some consolation to be enjoyed, or of some duty to be performed. All that takes place within us, around us, or through us, contains and conceals His divine action.
When you desire the common good, the whole world desires with you. Make humanity's desire your own and work for it. There you cannot fail.
Imagine a multidimensiona l spider's web in the early morning covered with dew drops. And every dew drop contains the reflection of all the other dew drops. And, in each reflected dew drop, the reflections of all the other dew drops in that reflection. And so ad infinitum. That is the Buddhist conception of the universe in an image.
It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholy but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle - everything has to end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.
Homo sapiens is the species that invents symbols in which to invest passion and authority, then forgets that symbols are inventions.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.