Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
John DrydenRead
Of all the tyrannies on human kind the worst is that which persecutes the mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The greatest oppression is that which restricts intellectual freedom.
John Dryden highlights that the most destructive form of tyranny is the one that attacks and suppresses the human mind, as it limits creativity, critical thinking, and the pursuit of knowledge. Such mental oppression not only affects individuals but also impedes societal progress and the advancement of ideas, making it far more insidious than physical tyranny.
Themes
TyrannyMindOppressionIntellectual FreedomThought
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of education, one might use this quote to emphasize the value of intellectual freedom.
More from John Dryden
All quotes →Of no distemper, of no blast he died, _x000D_ But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long: _x000D_ Even wonder'd at, because he dropp'd no sooner. _x000D_ Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; _x000D_ Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; _x000D_ Till like a clock worn out with eating time, _x000D_ The wheels of weary life at last stood still.
John DrydenRead
Or hast thou known the world so long in vain?
John DrydenRead
Shame on the body for breaking down while the spirit perseveres.
John DrydenRead
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
John DrydenRead
And write whatever Time shall bring to pass_x000D_ _x000D_ With pens of adamant on plates of brass.
John DrydenRead
Similar quotes
There are three things in the world that deserve no mercy, hypocrisy, fraud, and tyranny.
Frederick William RobertsonRead
In regard to the past, where contemplation is not obscured by desire and the need for action, we see, more clearly than in the lives about us, the value for good and evil, of the aims men have pursued and the means they have adopted. It is good, from time to time, to view the present as already past, and to examine what elements it contains that will add to the world's store of permanent possessions, that will live and give life when we and all our generation have perished.
Bertrand RussellRead
To a modern mind, it is difficult to feel enthusiastic about a virtuous life if nothing is going to be achieved by it.
Bertrand RussellRead
The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
Gustave Le BonRead
Comrades," he said, "here is a point that must be settled. The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits–are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?" The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. There were only four dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on both sides.
George OrwellRead
I want to live perfectly above the law, and make it my servant instead of my master.
Brigham YoungRead