George Long: Greatness

George Long was English classical scholar. Explore interesting quotes on greatness.
George Long: 132   quotes 0   likes

“The little book of Antoninus has been the companion of some great men.”

George Long

M. Aurelius Antoninus
Context: Epictetus and Antoninus have had readers ever since they were first printed. The little book of Antoninus has been the companion of some great men.

Men , Books

“I have heard that a great botanist, who”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I
Context: If we want a subject that is nearer, I think botany is the best. I do not mean classification of plants. I mean their structure, growth, propagation, parts, and uses.... I know no other thing which presents the same facilities in the way of material, and the opportunities of seeing and handling it. I have heard that a great botanist, who lived in our time, used to teach some village children to gather and examine plants.

“A man's greatness lies not in wealth and station, as the vulgar believe, not yet in his intellectual capacity, which is often associated with the meanest moral character, the most abject servility to those in high places and arrogance to the poor and lowly; but a man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examination, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself, as the emperor”

George Long

M. Aurelius Antoninus
Context: A man's greatness lies not in wealth and station, as the vulgar believe, not yet in his intellectual capacity, which is often associated with the meanest moral character, the most abject servility to those in high places and arrogance to the poor and lowly; but a man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examination, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself, as the emperor [Marcus Aurelius] says he should not, about what others may think or say, or whether they do or do not do that which he thinks and says and does.

Life , Wealth

“The amount of our school learning can never be very great, and the value of it is”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I
Context: The amount of our school learning can never be very great, and the value of it is allowed by all good judges to be in the discipline by which we learn, in the strengthening of the mental powers, and in the formation of character. He who learns even one thing well acquires a measure by which he may estimate himself and others: he knows what he does know, and he knows that he does not know that which he does not know. He is not deceived about himself, nor does he attempt to deceive others, nor is he likely to be deceived by others. He has attained the one sure element out of which improvement will come. All the knowledge, which we attempt to acquire and which we do really acquire, is the foundation of our character and the safe foundation on which must rest all that we shall learn afterwards and all that we shall do.

School , Learning

“Out of… average boys, if they are well brought up, come some of the most useful men to society, and sometimes great men; for the apparent dulness or slowness of some boys is only apparent: they do not apprehend quickly, because they see difficulties which sharper boys do not see, but when they emerge from the hide-bound state, they go on at a great rate, soberly and steadily. These boys become the men whom we trust… with weighty matters.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

Men , Boy

“This power of attention is that which perhaps more than any thing else distinguishes those who do great things from those who can do nothing well.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

“A few have a great power of listening and attending, but they are only few, and this power gives them a superiority over those who cannot attend.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

“We have, all of us, with a few unlucky exceptions, for which special schools are required, hands, eyes, and ears; and all these members should be trained and practiced in elementary education, as a means of improving the use of these organs, and so improving the great organ which directs and oversees the work of hands, eyes, and ears, and judges of its own work and its own acts.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

Education , School , Training

“The power of attending to what is spoken, or in other words the power of listening, is one of the most useful habits that we can acquire; it keeps the mind active, and we can thus learn not only by hearing, but by reading and reflection, by fixing our minds steadily on the matter which we wish to master. It is… in a great degree, the sure means of success in all that we undertake; and if the power is not acquired early in life, great labour will be necessary to acquire it afterwards.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

Life , Learning , Reading , Success

“What must we do with these sciences in schools—I mean the elementary part of them? for… the amount which we can teach in a school to the ordinary kind of boys, that is the very great majority, is not much.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

School , Boy , Science , Parting

“Great abilities are rare, and they are often accompanied by qualities which make the abilities useless to him who has them, and even injurious to society.”

George Long

An Old Man's Thoughts on Many Things, Of Education I

“He did not make the rule against the Christians, for Trajan did that; and if we admit that he would have been willing to let the Christians alone, we cannot affirm that it was in his power, for it would be a great mistake to suppose that Antoninus had the unlimited authority, which some modern sovereigns have had. His power was limited by certain constitutional forms, by the senate, and by the precedents of his predecessors. We cannot admit that such a man was an active prosecutor, for there is no evidence that he was, though it is certain that he had no good opinion of the Christians, as appears from his own words. But he knew nothing of them except their hostility to the Roman religion, and probably thought they were dangerous to the state.”

George Long

M. Aurelius Antoninus

Hostility , Religion , Appearance