ONE THOUGHT A DAY.
Ancient philosophy
The highest excellence is like (that of) water.
— Laozi (traditional attribution)Tao Teh King (Tao Te Ching), Sacred Books of the East, vol. XXXIX · Chapter 8, section 1, opening sentence
Water draws attention to forms of usefulness that do not announce themselves as superiority. Excellence might be understood through what it makes possible around it, rather than how high it stands.
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30 perspectives in the collection
Ancient philosophy
“The best way of avenging thyself is not to become like [the wrong-doer].” Marcus Aurelius — Responding to wrongdoing without imitationReligious and spiritual
“For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule.” Dhammapada (Buddhist canonical text) — Breaking the cycle of hatredTraditional proverb
“The pond stands aside, as if it were not related to the river.” Yoruba proverb — Seeing our hidden connectionsLiterature
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” Henry David Thoreau — Living by a different rhythmScience
“It is so easy to hide our ignorance under such expressions as the “plan of creation,” “unity of design,” &c., and to think that we give an explanation when we only restate a fact.” Charles Darwin — Naming a fact versus explaining itLiterature
“Till this moment, I never knew myself.” Jane Austen — Self-knowledge through changed judgmentAncient philosophy
“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” Laozi (traditional attribution) — Looking beyond names and categoriesAncient philosophy
“Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.” Confucius (as recorded in the Analects) — Bringing learning and reflection togetherReligious and spiritual
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” Ecclesiastes (Hebrew Bible) — Making room for grief and joyHistorical thought
“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence.” Frederick Douglass — Integrity in the face of public disapprovalAncient philosophy
“No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such.” Marcus Aurelius — Character expressed through actionReligious and spiritual
“As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion will break through an unreflecting mind.” Dhammapada (Buddhist canonical text) — Reflection as shelter from passionTraditional proverb
“Thanks are due to the shoulders which keep the shirt from slipping off.” Yoruba proverb — Gratitude for quiet supportLiterature
“Simplify, simplify.” Henry David Thoreau — Simplicity and the burden of complexityScience
“As we possess only the last volume of the geological record, and that in a very broken condition, we have no right to expect, except in rare cases, to fill up the wide intervals in the natural system, and thus to unite distinct families or orders.” Charles Darwin — The limits of surviving evidenceLiterature
“The distance is nothing, when one has a motive; only three miles.” Jane Austen — How purpose changes the experience of effortAncient philosophy
“The highest excellence is like (that of) water.” Laozi (traditional attribution) — Excellence through the example of waterAncient philosophy
“When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.” Confucius (as recorded in the Analects) — Leaving our faults behindReligious and spiritual
“Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.” Ecclesiastes (Hebrew Bible) — Quietness and the cost of having moreHistorical thought
“What he most dreaded, that I most desired.” Frederick Douglass — Literacy and the fear of liberationAncient philosophy
“The universe is transformation: life is opinion.” Marcus Aurelius — Change and the judgments we makeReligious and spiritual
“As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower, or its colour or scent, so let a sage dwell in his village.” Dhammapada (Buddhist canonical text) — Receiving without causing harmTraditional proverb
“The sword shows no respect for its maker.” Yoruba proverb — The unintended consequences of our toolsLiterature
“We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking.” Henry David Thoreau — Recognizing the speaker behind a claimScience
“This ought to convince us of our ignorance on the mutual relations of all organic beings; a conviction as necessary, as it is difficult to acquire.” Charles Darwin — Humility about a connected worldLiterature
“angry people are not always wise” Jane Austen — Anger and the limits of judgmentAncient philosophy
“Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends.” Laozi (traditional attribution) — The usefulness of empty spaceAncient philosophy
“I will not be afflicted at men’s not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.” Confucius (as recorded in the Analects) — Understanding others beyond seeking recognitionReligious and spiritual
“He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” Ecclesiastes (Hebrew Bible) — Acting amid uncertain conditionsHistorical thought
“It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out.” Frederick Douglass — When insight arrives before relief