There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Reason means truth and those who are not governed by it_x000D_ take the chance that someday the sunken fact will rip_x000D_ the bottom out of their boat.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Relying on reason and truth is crucial; ignorance can lead to dire consequences.
This quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. highlights the importance of being guided by reason and truth in our lives. It suggests that ignoring these fundamental principles can lead to unforeseen troubles, much like a boat sinking due to unaddressed leaks; thus, the necessity of acknowledging and addressing reality before it causes significant damage.
Themes
ReasonTruthConsequencesGovernanceAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about climate change, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of accepting scientific facts.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes →On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
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