For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.
Christopher ColumbusRead
Weep for me, whoever has charity, truth and justice! I did not come on this voyage for gain, honor or wealth, that is certain; for then the hope of all such things was dead. I came to Your Highnesses with honest purpose and sincere zeal; and I do not lie. I humbly beseech Your Highnesses that, if it please God to remove me hence, you will help me to go to Rome and on other pilgrimages.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a fervent desire for charity, truth, and justice over material gains, revealing the speaker's sincere intentions and values.
In this quote, Christopher Columbus conveys a message of deep sincerity and moral integrity, emphasizing that his motivations for exploration were not driven by personal gain or fame but rather by a heartfelt calling. He appeals to his audience for support in pursuing a spiritual journey, highlighting a sense of duty and devotion to faith rather than worldly ambitions.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech at a charity event to emphasize the importance of selfless actions.
For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.
I should not proceed by land to the East, as is customary, but by a Westerly route, in which direction we have hitherto no certain evidence that any one has gone.
Sailed this day nineteen leagues, and determined to count less than the true number, that the crew might not be dismayed if the voyage should prove long.
I am an opponent of war and of war preparations and an opponent of universal military training and conscription; but entirely apart from that issue, I hold that segregation in any part of the body politic is an act of slavery and an act of war.
I am not a courageous person by nature. I have simply discovered that, at certain key moments in this life, you must find courage in yourself, in order to move forward and live. It is like a muscle and it must be exercised, first a little, and then more and more. All the really exciting things possible during the course of a lifetime require a little more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap.
Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees.
I've looked that old scoundrel death in the eye many times but this time I think he has me on the ropes.
The biggest mistake sometimes is to play things very safe in this life and end up being moral failures.
We have to stand up for these issues when it's tough, and that's what I've done. I did it when I was in the state legislature, sponsoring the Illinois version of the DREAM Act, so that children who were brought here through no fault of their own are able to go to college, because we actually want well-educated kids in our country who are able to succeed and become part of this economy and part of the American dream.
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