It may be -- I hope it is -- redemption to guess and perhaps perceive that the universe, the hell which we see for all its beauty, vastness, majesty, is only part of a whole which is quite unimaginable.
William GoldingRead
In all things there must be order, but it must of such a kind as is possible to observe...to see a man burnt for doing as he thought right, harms the people, for this is a matter of conscience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that order is essential, but it must allow for individual conscience and moral actions without leading to harm.
William The Silent highlights the tension between societal order and individual conscience. While order is necessary for a functioning society, it should not suppress individual beliefs and actions that are morally right. The harm caused when someone is punished for acting according to their conscience undermines the very fabric of society, as it disregards personal integrity and moral judgment.
Themes
OrderConscienceMoralSocietyJustice
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a community meeting could use this quote to emphasize the importance of ethical decision-making.
Similar quotes
Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.
Horace MannRead
What is human warfare but just this; an effort to make the laws of God and nature take sides with one party.
Henry David ThoreauRead
It is war that wastes a nations wealth, chokes its industries, kills its flower, narrows its sympathies, condemns it to be governed by adventurers, and leaves the puny, deformed, and unmanly to breed the next generation.
George SantayanaRead
There is nothing worse than an idle hour, with no occupation offering. People who have many such hours are simply animals waiting docilely for death. We all come to that state soon or late. It is the curse of senility.
H. L. MenckenRead
Words are things, but things which mean. We cannot do away with meaning without doing away with signs, that is, with language itself. Moreover, we would have to do away with the universe. All the things man touches are impregnated with meaning.
Octavio PazRead