Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.
Woodrow WilsonRead
I am not sure that it is of the first importance that you should be happy. Many an unhappy man has been of deep service to himself and to the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is not the only measure of a person's value; even unhappy individuals can contribute significantly.
This quote suggests that the pursuit of happiness should not overshadow the importance of one's contributions to oneself and society. It emphasizes that even those who may struggle with personal happiness can have a profound impact and serve meaningful roles, highlighting the complexity of human experience and value beyond superficial joy.
Themes
HappinessServiceValueContributionUnhappiness
In practice
Example use cases
A keynote speaker could use this quote to inspire an audience at a personal development seminar.
More from Woodrow Wilson
All quotes βSince trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturer insists on having the world as a market, the flag of his nation must follow him, and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down. Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused.
Woodrow WilsonRead
The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the processes of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.
Woodrow WilsonRead
We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.
Woodrow WilsonRead
The way to stop financial joyriding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile.
Woodrow WilsonRead
Once lead this people into war, and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight, you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.
Woodrow WilsonRead
Similar quotes
Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Do not underestimate the human being, who sometimes appears so simple. Even with sight as sharp as an eagle, a mind as sharp as a razor, senses more powerful than gods, hearing that can catch the music and the lamentations of life, your knowledge of humanity will never be total.
Pramoedya Ananta ToerRead
I was taught you don't tell your secrets to strangers - certainly not secrets that expose error, weakness, failure. My generation, like its predecessors, was taught that since our achievements received little notice or credit from white America, we were not to discuss our faults, lapses, or uncertainties in public.
Margo JeffersonRead
I see disappointment as something small and aggregate rather than something unified or great. With a little effort, every failure can be turned into something good.
Eleanor CattonRead
The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we are practicing harshness. The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become. How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others. The trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal.
Pema ChodronRead
What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.
Samuel JohnsonRead