Physicians think they do a lot for a patient when they give his disease a name.
Immanuel KantRead
Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Kant expresses a deep admiration for the universe and the principles of ethics that govern human behavior.
Immanuel Kant's quote reflects his profound sense of wonder at the natural world and the moral framework that guides human actions. He suggests that both the vastness of the cosmos and the innate sense of right and wrong within us are equally awe-inspiring, indicating a connection between nature and ethics that shapes our understanding of existence.
Themes
AweNatureMoralityEthicsSkyLawKant
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the wonders of the universe and our moral duties, one might quote Kant to emphasize the dual sources of awe in life.
More from Immanuel Kant
All quotes →The inscrutable wisdom through which we exist is not less worthy of veneration in respect to what it denies us than in respect to what it has granted.
Immanuel KantRead
One cannot avoid a certain feeling of disgust, when one observes the actions of man displayed on the great stage of the world. Wisdom is manifested by individuals here and there; but the web of human history as a whole appears to be woven from folly and childish vanity, often, too, from puerile wickedness and love of destruction: with the result that at the end one is puzzled to know what idea to form of our species which prides itself so much on its advantages.
Immanuel KantRead
I shall never forget my mother, for it was she who planted and nurtured the first seeds of good within me. She opened my heart to the lasting impressions of nature; she awakened my understanding and extended my horizon and her percepts exerted an everlasting influence upon the course of my life.
Immanuel KantRead
. . . as to moral feeling, this supposed special sense, the appeal to it is indeed superficial when those who cannot think believe that feeling will help them out, even in what concerns general laws: and besides, feelings which naturally differ infinitely in degree cannot furnish a uniform standard of good and evil, nor has any one a right to form judgments for others by his own feelings. . . .
Immanuel KantRead
Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.
Immanuel KantRead
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