American politics is a struggle, not of men but of forces. The men become every year more and more creatures of force, massed about central power houses.
Henry AdamsRead
Simplicity is the most deceitful mistress that ever betrayed man.
Interpretation
Simplicity can often appear alluring, yet it can also lead to misunderstandings and complexities beneath the surface.
Henry Adams warns that simplicity may seem appealing and straightforward, but it can be misleading and deceptive. People often fall into the trap of underestimating the complexities that lie beneath seemingly simple things, leading to unforeseen consequences and betrayals.
In practice
In a discussion about design, one might reference this quote to highlight the pitfalls of oversimplifying a concept.
American politics is a struggle, not of men but of forces. The men become every year more and more creatures of force, massed about central power houses.
Of all studies, the one he would rather have avoided was that of his own mind. He knew no tragedy so heartrending as introspection.
Church and State, Soul and Body, God and Man, are all one at Mont Saint Michel, and the business of all is to fight, each in his own way, or to stand guard for each other.
The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port to seek.
The effect of power and publicity on all men is the aggravation of self, a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim's sympathies.
Man is an imperceptible atom always trying to become one with God.
Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker ... the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.
When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest...and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war
They say you are not you except in terms of relation to other people. If there weren't any other people there wouldn't be any you because what you do, which is what you are, only has meaning in relation to other people.
Each of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
How little remains of the man I once was, save the memory of him! But remembering is only a new form of suffering.
In a world without future, each moment is the end of the world.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.