Son of Heav'n and Earth, Attend: that thou art happy, owe to God; That thou continuest such, owe to thyself, That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
Interpretation
Happiness is a gift from God, but maintaining it depends on personal responsibility and obedience.
In this quote, John Milton emphasizes the dual nature of happiness as both a divine blessing and a personal achievement. While happiness is bestowed by a higher power, it is ultimately the individual's conduct and adherence to moral principles that sustain it, highlighting the importance of self-discipline and ethical behavior in leading a fulfilling life.
In practice
During a motivational speech about personal responsibility and growth.
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms: Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon; The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide; They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.
The stars, that nature hung in heaven, and filled their lamps with everlasting oil, give due light to the misled and lonely traveller.
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones.
Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss
The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him.
Apt words have power to suage the tumors of a troubled mind.
Unless a capacity for thinking be accompanied by a capacity for action, a superior mind exists in torture.
Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.
Anger is a signal that you're distracted by judgmental or punitive thinking, and that some precious need of yours is being ignored.
Well, normally Iβm against big things. I think the world is going to be saved by millions of small things. Too many things can go wrong when they get big.β β Pete Seeger (on how he felt about attending his big 90th birthday bash last year)
A lot of people go off and have fun adventures, or hard adventures, and their impulse is to write about them right away. What really makes a difference is having some perspective on what happened.
Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty.
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