There is so much potential out there in young people and they aren't getting the right information or being encouraged in the right ways. This is our duty as a society.
Benjamin CarsonRead
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angles, but am note nice, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but am not nice, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but am not nice, I gain nothing.
Interpretation
Without kindness, all talents and gifts are meaningless.
This quote emphasizes the importance of kindness and love over mere abilities or achievements. It suggests that no matter how skilled, knowledgeable, or sacrificial one may be, if those actions are not rooted in genuine kindness, they hold no true value and contribute nothing to one's character or the world.
In practice
In a speech about community service, I might use this quote to highlight the importance of kindness in our actions.
There is so much potential out there in young people and they aren't getting the right information or being encouraged in the right ways. This is our duty as a society.
Being a doctor at Johns Hopkins does not make me any better in God's sight than the individual who has not had the opportunity to gain such an education but who still works hard.
And I've always said, 'If two people think the same thing about everything, one of them isn't necessary.' We need to be able to understand that if we're going to make real progress.
You don't have to be a brain surgeon to be a valuable person. You become valuable because of the knowledge that you have. And that doesn't mean you won't fail sometimes. The important thing is to keep trying.
If we recognize our talents and use them appropriately, and choose a field that uses those talents, we will rise to the top of our field.
You know, many people have said that I'm on the edge and I'm maverick for some of the big operations that I've done. I'm not at all. I pray; I ask God to give me wisdom, 'Should I do it?', guidance in terms of how to do it, who to consult with. All those kind of things are incredibly important.
Very few men are wise by their own council, or learned by their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself, had a fool for a master.
Develop and protect a moral sensibility and demonstrate the character to apply it. Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency, for every tick of the clock subtracts from fewer and fewer...
Without tact you can learn nothing.
You are the untold story. You are the impassioned truth wanting to scream its existence, to be forever trapped by a strong hand clapped firmly over the mouth of my soul.
It is the greatest of all advantages to enjoy no advantage at all.
You can stay angry at someone who hurt you. Or you can get busy doing your visions and changing our world. But you don't get to do both.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.