
Book i. Stanza 55.
The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius (1771)
Source: Illness as Metaphor
Book i. Stanza 55.
The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius (1771)
To ———, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
Source: What is Political Philosophy (1959), p. 40
Context: Men are constantly attracted and deluded by two opposite charms: the charm of competence which is engendered by mathematics and everything akin to mathematics, and the charm of humble awe, which is engendered by meditation on the human soul and its experiences. Philosophy is characterized by the gentle, if firm, refusal to succumb to either charm. It is the highest form of the mating of courage and moderation. In spite of its highness or nobility, it could appear as Sisyphean or ugly, when one contrasts its achievement with its goal. Yet it is necessarily accompanied, sustained and elevated by eros. It is graced by nature's grace.
“But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms.”
Source: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Source: The Story of My Life