QuoteProject
Say first, of god above or man below; what can we reason but from what we know.
Alexander Pope
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes that our reasoning is based on our knowledge and experiences, whether about divine or human matters.

In this quote, Alexander Pope suggests that our capacity to reason and understand the world is intrinsically tied to what we already know. It implies that knowledge forms the foundation of our thoughts and beliefs, influencing how we perceive both divinity and humanity. Thus, we can only draw conclusions and form arguments based on our accumulated experiences and understanding, highlighting the importance of education and awareness in developing reasoned perspectives.

Themes

ReasoningKnowledgeUnderstandingExperiencePhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about ethics, the quote can be used to emphasize the importance of grounded reasoning.

More from Alexander Pope

Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Alexander PopeRead
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
Alexander PopeRead
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
Alexander PopeRead
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Alexander PopeRead
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
Alexander PopeRead

Similar quotes

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
Auguries of innocence "The emmet's inch and eagle's mile Make lame philosophy to smile. He who doubts from what he sees Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
William BlakeRead
After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it.
William S. BurroughsRead
The thing with Catholicism, the same as all religions, is that it teaches what should be, which seems rather incorrect. This is what should be. Now, if you're taught to live up to a what should be that never existed - only an occult superstition, no proof of this should be - then you can sit on a jury and indict easily, you can cast the first stone, you can burn Adolf Eichmann, like that!
Lenny BruceRead
My good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious. As to my evil deeds and my sins, He hid them at once. The eyes of those who saw them, He made even blind; and He has blotted them out of their memory.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
It was that white cloak that soiled me, not the other way around.
George R. R. MartinRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.