“As things stand now the feudal lords are content to look on while the shogunate carries on in a highhanded manner. Neither the lords nor the shogun can be depended upon, and so our only hope lies in grass-roots heroes.”
Vol. V.
Yoshida Shoin Zenshu
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Yoshida Shoin18
Japanese politician 1830–1859Related quotes
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) logician, one of the first analytic philosophers and political activist
Disputed
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647–1680) English poet, and peer of the realm
Written on the Bedchamber Door of Charles II, as quoted in The Book of Days : A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities (1832) by Robert Chambers, Viol. II, July 26, p. 126.
Tony Benn (1925–2014) British Labour Party politician
As quoted in Yorkshire Post (22 November 1976)
1970s
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, my brethren, is our hero, a hero all the world wants.”
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889) English poet
Sermon (23 November 1879)
Letters, etc
Edward Jenks (1861–1939) British legal scholar
Source: A Short History Of The English Law (First Edition) (1912), Chapter VIII, Methods Of Alienation, p. 109
Eric Rücker Eddison book The Worm Ouroboros
Source: The Worm Ouroboros (1922), Ch. 28 : Zora Rach Nam Psarrion, p. 427
Meher Baba book Discourses
Source: Discourses (1967), Vol. I, Ch. 15 : The Life of the Spirit
Context: The value of material things depends upon the part they play in the life of the spirit. In themselves they are neither good nor bad. They become good or bad according to whether they help or hinder the manifestation of Divinity through matter. Take for example the place of the physical body in the life of the spirit. It is a mistake to set up an antithesis between “flesh” and “spirit.” Such contrast almost inevitably ends in an unqualified condemnation of the body. The body obstructs spiritual fulfillment only if it is pampered as having claims in its own right. Its proper function is rightly understood as ancillary to spiritual purposes. The rider needs a horse if he is to fight a battle, though the horse can become an impediment if it refuses to be completely submissive to his will. In the same way the spirit needs to be clothed in matter if it is to come into full possession of its own possibilities, although the body can at times become a hindrance if it refuses to be compliant with the requirements of the spirit. If the body yields to the claims of the spirit as it should, it is instrumental in bringing down the kingdom of heaven on earth. It becomes a vehicle for the release of divine life, and when it subserves this purpose it might aptly be called the temple of God on earth.