For tyme ylost may nought recovered be.
Geoffrey ChaucerRead
Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space_x000D_ _x000D_ Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience,_x000D_ _x000D_ That neither by hir wordes ne hir face_x000D_ _x000D_ Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence,_x000D_ _x000D_ Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the importance of patience and composure in the face of adversity or conflict.
In this excerpt from Geoffrey Chaucer, the emphasis is on a character exhibiting remarkable patience and self-control, suggesting that true wisdom lies in how one conducts oneself in difficult situations. The refusal to show offense or anger, both in presence and absence, reflects an understanding that maintaining one's dignity is paramount.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a group discussion on emotional intelligence.
For tyme ylost may nought recovered be.
For in their hearts doth Nature stir them so Then people long on pilgrimage to go And palmers to be seeking foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands.
If gold rusts, what then can iron do?
Ther nis no werkman, whatsoevere he be, That may bothe werke wel and hastily.
For oute of olde feldys, as men sey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe corn from yer to yere;_x000D_ _x000D_ And out of olde bokis, in good fey,_x000D_ _x000D_ Comyth al this newe science that men lere.
But Christ's lore and his apostles twelve,_x000D_ He taught and first he followed it himself.
The world is not so much in need of new thoughts as that when thought grows old and worn with usage it should, like current coin, be called in, and, from the mint of genius, reissued fresh and new.
Think of what's stored in an 80- or a 90-year-old mind. Just marvel at it. You've got to get out this information, this knowledge, because you've got something to pass on. There'll be nobody like you ever again. Make the most of every molecule you've got as long as you've got a second to go.
It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations.
I go by the gut. I might not appear to have any talent but I've got plenty of gut instinct.
Everyone recognizes a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. . . Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values. Since these cannot be separated from the human organism and the social scene, the moral ways of man cannot be understood without knowledge of the ways of things and institutions.
The English know how to make the best of things. Their so-called muddling through is simply skill at dealing with the inevitable.
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