I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity.
Alexander The GreatRead
A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient.
Interpretation
One's achievements and power are meaningless in the face of death.
This quote by Alexander the Great reflects on the futility of material success and worldly power when faced with mortality. Despite conquering vast territories and being revered as one of the greatest leaders in history, the ultimate end for everyone, including him, is death, which renders all worldly accomplishments insignificant.
In practice
During a speech on the importance of humility in success.
I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity.
Are you still to learn that the end and perfection of our victories is to avoid the vices and infirmities of those whom we subdue?
Now you fear punishment and beg for your lives, so I will let you free, if not for any other reason so that you can see the difference between a Greek king and a barbarian tyrant, so do not expect to suffer any harm from me. A king does not kill messengers.
In the end, when it's over, all that matters is what you've done.
But truly, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.
I am dying with the help of too many physicians.
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior, regardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.
There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his own hands in open defiance. This distinction between an open violation of the law, performed in public, and a clandestine one is so glaringly obvious that it can be neglected only by prejudice or ill will.
Down in the city are the nice houses and the so-so houses and the lovers making out in dark yards and the babies crying for their moms, and I wonder if, other than Jesus, has this ever happened before. Maybe it happens all the time. Maybe there's angry dead all over, hiding in rooms, covered with blankets, bossing around their scared, embarrassed relatives. Because how would we know?
When you and I hurt deeply, what we really need is not an explanation from God but a revelation of God. We need to see how great God is; we need to recover our lost perspective on life. Things get out of proportion when we are suffering, and it takes a vision of something bigger than ourselves to get life's dimensions adjusted again
If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.
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