What you do thunders above your head so loudly, I cannot hear the words you speak.
Interpretation
Actions carry more weight than words; what you do speaks louder than what you say.
This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes the importance of actions over words. It suggests that one's behavior and deeds are powerful indicators of true intent and character, often overshadowing verbal communication. In this sense, it serves as a reminder to be mindful of how our actions reflect our beliefs and values.
In practice
In a discussion about leadership, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of demonstrating values through actions.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
I am proud to be part of a species where a subset of its members willingly put their lives at risk to push the boundaries of our existence.
Wisdom is nothing but a preparation of the soul, a capacity, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life.
No man has ever appreciated the gospel until the law has first revealed him to himself. It is only against the inky blackness of the night sky that the stars begin to appear, and it is only against the dark background of sin and judgment that the gospel shines forth.
Now all you can do is wait. It must be hard for you, but there is a right time for everything. Like the ebb and flow of tides. No one can do anything to change them. When it is time to wait, you must wait.
Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder.
Words will not fail when the matter is well considered.
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