Insecurity twists meanings and poisons trust. In a closely beleaguered city every sentry is a potential traitor.
Graham GreeneRead
She was not too young to be wise, but she was too young to know that wisdom shouldn't be spoken aloud when you are happy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wisdom often comes with age, but happiness can distract us from sharing it inappropriately.
In this quote by Graham Greene, the author reflects on the complexity of wisdom and happiness. It suggests that even young individuals can possess wisdom, but there are moments when sharing that wisdom, especially during times of joy, may not be suitable. The quote highlights the idea that wisdom is contextual and that not every moment is appropriate for introspection or serious reflection, particularly in times of happiness.
Themes
WisdomHappinessContextAgeReflection
In practice
Example use cases
During a graduation speech to emphasize the value of humility in success.
More from Graham Greene
All quotes →It seemed to Scobie that life was immeasurably long. Couldn’t the test of man have been carried out in fewer years? Couldn’t we have committed our first major sin at seven, have ruined ourselves for love or hate at ten, have clutched at redemption on a fifteen-year-old deathbed?
Graham GreeneRead
God is love. I don't say the heart doesn't feel a taste of it, but what a taste. The smallest glass of love mixed with a pint pot of ditch-water. We wouldn't recognize that love. It might even look like hate. It would be enough to scare us - God's love.
Graham GreeneRead
Of two hearts one is always warm and one is always cold: the cold heart is more precious than diamonds: the warm heart has no value and is thrown away.
Graham GreeneRead
Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.
Graham GreeneRead
Champagne, if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully.
Graham GreeneRead
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Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.
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