The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Interpretation
True peace and tranquility must come from within, rather than from external sources.
This quote emphasizes the importance of inner peace and self-acceptance. It suggests that if we are unable to cultivate a sense of calm and contentment within ourselves, any efforts to seek solace or tranquility from the outside world will ultimately be in vain. Hence, it advocates for self-reflection and personal growth as essential steps towards achieving true tranquility.
In practice
During a mindfulness workshop, this quote can be shared to promote inner peace.
The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
You can’t look too far ahead. Do that and you’ll lose sight of what you’re doing and stumble. I’m not saying you should focus solely on the details right in front of you, mind you. You’ve got to look ahead a bit or else you’ll bump into something. You’ve got to conform to the proper order and at the same time keep an eye out for what’s ahead. That’s critical, no matter what you’re doing.
For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
That was what her parents did not understand—and had never understood—about stories. Liza told herself storied as though she was weaving and knotting an endless rope. Then, no matter how dark or terrible the pit she found herself in, she could pull herself out, inch by inch and hand over hand, on the long rope of stories.
Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken.
Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability.
Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things.
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