User:BurningLibrary/Inbox/Archive
A page for archived quotes, which is reset from time to time. According to Wikiquote:User page, users "can create subpages … by adding a slash (/) and the name of the subpage after [their] username". This is such a page.
Quotes
editMarcus Aurelius
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- Or is it your reputation that's bothering you? But look at how soon we're all forgotten. The abyss of endless time that swallows it all. The emptiness of all those applauding hands. The people who praise us—how capricious they are, how arbitrary. And the tiny region in which it all takes place. The whole earth a point in space—and most of it uninhabited. How many people there will be to admire you, and who they are.
- Meditations, 4.3 (Gregory Hays translation)
Comment. Illustrating a classical quotation with a modern photograph makes for an interesting juxtaposition. All the same, it should be appreciated that this is a modern interpretation of a modern translation. The Marcus Aurelius page uses classical imagery for most of its illustrations. BurningLibrary (talk) 21:30, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
Wholesome quotes
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- The first of the precepts is, "I undertake the training to refrain from killing living beings." We are vastly interrelated and that interrelatedness needs to be recognized. We share this planet with lots of other creatures. They have as much right to be here as we do. So we want to act towards them in ways that are in harmony with this interrelatedness and not generate the hate that is necessary to kill something. So we undertake the training to refrain from killing living beings, which includes the insects and spiders that might annoy you, as well as your fellow human beings. … If there is a spider in your room, get a cup, get a piece of paper, trap the spider and take it outside.
- Leigh Brasington: "The Precepts". In More Right Concentration, a supplement to Right Concentration.
Although I haven't established notability yet, this quote is pleasantly wholesome and it would be worthwhile to collect more quotes like it. Or one could go in a more general direction, e.g.,
- By spreading thoughts of goodwill and equanimity to all beings, you take your mind out of its everyday narratives and create a broader perspective for your meditation.
- Thanissaro Bikkhu: With Each & Every Breath
In this quote, "all beings" refers to all living beings, not only human beings. The following quote also expresses a similar sentiment:
- He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
- Immanuel Kant: Lectures on Ethics, "Of Duties to Animals and Spirits"
In general, wholesome quotes are by far the easiest to work with. A rule of thumb:
- If you are unsure what to do, pick the wholesome category and stay there. There is no safer space.
In time, we will have to consider more challenging categories, but this is a nice principle to come back to. BurningLibrary (talk) 23:23, 16 September 2024 (UTC)