A wise man should so write (though in words understood by all men) that wise men only should be able to commend him.
Interpretation
A truly wise person communicates in a way that is accessible to everyone, yet only the truly wise can fully appreciate their insights.
In this quote, Thomas Hobbes expresses the idea that while wisdom should be presented in clear and understandable language, the depth of that wisdom should be such that it can be recognized and appreciated only by those who have the capacity for deeper thought. It emphasizes the balance between accessibility and the elite understanding of profound insights.
In practice
During a lecture on philosophy, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of communicating profound thoughts simply.
Baptism is the sacrament of allegiance of them that are to be received into the Kingdom of God, that is to say, into Eternal life, that is to say, to Remission of Sin. For as Eternal life was lost by the committing, so it is recovered by the remitting of men's sins.
Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.
For it is not the shape, but their use, that makes them angels.
For to accuse requires less eloquence, such is man's nature, than to excuse; and condemnation, than absolution, more resembles justice.
Scientia potentia est, sed parva; quia scientia egregia rara est, nec proinde apparens nisi paucissimis, et in paucis rebus. Scientiae enim ea natura est, ut esse intelligi non possit, nisi ab illis qui sunt scientia praediti.
The end of knowledge is power ... the scope of all speculation is the performing of some action or thing to be done.
Then I thought, "No, I broke it myself. I broke it on purpose to pay myself back for being such a heel.
I have no talents. But I do have hope. And wonder. And love. Maybe those are talents?
To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.
No obligation to do the impossible is binding.
It is easy to be pleasant when life flows by like a song, but the man worth while is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is trouble, and it always comes with years, and the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through the tears.
Never participate in the secrets of those above you; you think you share the fruit, and you share the stones - the confidence of a prince is not a grant, but a tax
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