Quote by John Donne

At most, the greatest persons are but great wens, and excrescences; men of wit and delightful conversation, but as morals for ornament, except they be so incorporated into the body of the world that they contribute something to the sustentation of the whole.

At most, the greatest persons are but great wens, and excres

Summary

This quote suggests that although highly esteemed individuals may possess great talent, intelligence, and charm, they can be likened to mere growths on the surface unless they actively contribute to the well-being and functioning of society. Being morally upright or possessing good character doesn't hold much value unless individuals actively use their qualities to make a positive impact on the greater world. In essence, this quote promotes the idea that true greatness lies in offering something more substantial than just personal qualities; it lies in actively contributing to the betterment of society.

Topics

Greatness & Great Things

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

I come from hardworking, determined people on both sides of

I come from hardworking, determined people on both sides of my family... the kind who live with a hard reality from which much strength comes.

Adriana Trigiani

Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom invo

Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.

I really love laughing.

I really love laughing.

Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet a

Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love.

Personally, I need a high level of physical fitness in order

Personally, I need a high level of physical fitness in order to feel at ease.

Jurgen Klinsmann

I'm not Candide, nor Dr Pangloss, but we know that faith mov

I'm not Candide, nor Dr Pangloss, but we know that faith moves mountains.

Daniel Libeskind

The grounding in natural sciences which I obtained in the co

The grounding in natural sciences which I obtained in the course of my medical studies, including preliminary examinations in botany, zoology, physics, and chemistry, was to become decisive in determining the trend of my literary work.

Johannes Vilhelm Jensen

Work Science Medical

It's amazing. My kids have grown me in ways I never knew pos

It's amazing. My kids have grown me in ways I never knew possible. The patience I've received and the love I get from them is just amazing.

Candace Cameron Bure

There is only one way... to get anybody to do anything. And

There is only one way... to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.

Wit is the only wall between us and the dark.

Wit is the only wall between us and the dark.

The effort to remold, in one's own life, the culture one has

The effort to remold, in one's own life, the culture one has grown into is heavy with danger. The searcher is likely to be treated as a criminal or a madman, condemned and criticized by his own society, ridiculed, even persecuted. Even if he is more fortunate--even if he is simply ignored by others--he must begin his struggle as a cripple. For to consciously reject the generalized attitudes' of the parent society is to reject positive reference points that have helped him evaluate his actions and accomplishments.This is the price of freedom on the peripheries. We are able to free ourselves from our parent culture only by destroying parts of ourselves, much as an animal might escape the hunter's trap by gnawing off its own leg. But unlike the wounded animal, the detached person is doubly crippled; however he mutilates himself, he will never quite be free of the trap but will carry it with him in his new freedom.

Donald A. Hansen, An Invitation

Whatever evil a man may think of women, there is no woman bu

Whatever evil a man may think of women, there is no woman but thinks more.

Sebastian Roch Nicolas Chamfort