“What we keep can be a burden to ourselves, while what we discard can be a blessing to others. Do you think that's a contradiction?”

—  Titon Rahmawan

Last update Feb. 10, 2024. History

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Joseph Joubert photo

“To think what we do not feel is to lie to ourselves, in the same way that we lie to others when we say to others what we do not think.”

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist and essayist

Context: To think what we do not feel is to lie to ourselves, in the same way that we lie to others when we say to others what we do not think. Everything we think must be thought with our entire being, body, and soul.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow photo

“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) American poet

Source: Kavanagh: A Tale (1849), Chapter 1.

Manav Gupta photo

“Let us stop a while, while doing what we are doing, and begin to change what we can change…”

Manav Gupta (1967) Indian artist

"Beyond Politics, Beyond Copenhagen, For Our Children" : Treatise, Travelling trilogy, Lectures and Films on Sustainable development by Manav Gupta (2009 -2010), as quoted in Hindustan Times (25 December 2009)
2000s

François de La Rochefoucauld photo

“How can we expect others to keep our secrets if we cannot keep them ourselves?”

François de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) French author of maxims and memoirs

Comment prétendons-nous qu'un autre puisse garder notre secret, si nous ne pouvons le garder nous-mêmes?
Maxim 64 of the Maximes supprimées.
Later Additions to the Maxims

Richelle Mead photo

“What do you think Dimitri? Is this a good idea, Dimitri? Please give us your blessing so that we can fall down and worship you, Dimitri.”

Richelle Mead book The Golden Lily

Source: The Golden Lily

Satya Nadella photo

“We need to ask ourselves not only what computers can do, but what computers should do.”

Satya Nadella (1967) CEO of Microsoft appointed on 4 February 2014

The Seattle Times: " Microsoft Build: Data privacy must be protected, CEO Satya Nadella tells technologists https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/microsoft-build-data-privacy-must-be-protected-ceo-satya-nadella-tells-technologists/" (7 May 2018)

Philip Melanchthon photo

“You can see for what reason I commend the study of eloquence to you—because we can neither explain what we ourselves want, nor understand the surviving writing written by our ancestors, unless we have thoroughly studied a fixed rule for speaking. For my part, I do not see how there could be others who wish neither to explain what they think, nor to understand what is excellently said.”

Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560) German reformer

Source: Praise of Eloquence (1523), p. 64

Albert Pike photo

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

Albert Pike (1809–1891) Confederate States Army general and Freemason

"1860. In Lodge of Sorrow at Washington: March 30.", p. 11 <!-- [books.google.com/books?id=PTpRwZ1yEWwC&pg=PA11&dq=What+we+have+done+for+ourselves+Albert+Pike&hl=en&sa=X&ei=akWkT_3QCqLA6AHG_7G6CQ&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=remains immortal&f=false page 11] -->
In sentiment this is similar to the expression made much earlier by Giordano Bruno in On the Infinite Universe and Worlds (1584) : "What you receive from others is a testimony to their virtue; but all that you do for others is the sign and clear indication of your own."
Ex Corde Locutiones: Words from the Heart Spoken of His Dead Brethren
Variant: What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.

Jeff Lindsay photo

“We can't always do what we think we have to do. So when there's nothing else you can do, you wait… No matter what… pressure… you might feel.”

Jeff Lindsay book Dearly Devoted Dexter

Source: Dearly Devoted Dexter

Emma Watson photo

“If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are — we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.”

Emma Watson (1990) British actress and model

UN Speech on the HeForShe campaign (2014)
Context: We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that that they are, and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.
If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.
Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.
If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are — we can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom. 
I want men to take up this mantle. So that their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too — reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves.

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