“Action men are the unvoluntary slaves of wise men.”
Ibid.
The Book of Disquiet
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Fernando Pessoa 288
Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publi… 1888–1935Related quotes
Life of Marcus Cato
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
Civil Disobedience (1849)
Context: All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority. Its obligation, therefore, never exceeds that of expediency. Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men. When the majority shall at length vote for the abolition of slavery, it will be because they are indifferent to slavery, or because there is but little slavery left to be abolished by their vote. They will then be the only slaves. Only his vote can hasten the abolition of slavery who asserts his own freedom by his vote.
“5779. Wise Men learn by other Men's Harms; Fools, by their own.”
Introductio ad prudentiam: Part II (1727), Gnomologia (1732)
“Good slaves are free, but bad free men are slaves of many passions.”
As quoted by Stobaeus, iii.1.18
“Society speaks and all men listen, mountains speak and wise men listen.”
Frequently attributed to Muir without source. An extensive search of Muir's published and unpublished writings found several sharp and cogent observations concerning society (see above) but not this one.
Misattributed
“Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.”
“If men were only as wise as they are clever…”
Source: Sea Without a Shore (1996), Chapter 38 (p. 550)
“Experience is the only prophecy of wise men.”
Speech at Mâcon (1847)