March is the month
March is the month of expectation, The things we do not know, The Persons of Prognostication Are coming now. We try to sham becoming firmness, But pompous joy Betrays us, as his first betrothal Betrays a boy. Emily Dickinson
Firmness
We saw Time\\’s varied
We saw Time’s varied traces Were deep on every hand – Indeed, upon the people, More marked than on the land. The bands that once with firmness Could grasp the axe and blade, Now move with trembling motion, By strength of nerve decayed. The change in form and feature And furrows on the cheek Of … Read more
The purpose firm is
The purpose firm is equal to the deed Edward Young
A nation ignorant of
A nation ignorant of the equal benefits of liberty and law, must be awed by the flashes of arbitrary power: the cruelty of a despot will assume the character of justice; his profusion, of liberality; his obstinacy, of firmness. Edward Gibbon
Obstinacy, sir, is certainly
Obstinacy, sir, is certainly a great vice; and in the changeful state of political affairs it is frequently the cause of great mischief. It happens, however, very unfortunately, that almost the whole line of the great and masculine virtues–constancy, gravity, magnanimity, fortitude, fidelity, and firmness–are closely allied to this disagreeable quality, of which you have … Read more
Stubbornness is not firmness.
Stubbornness is not firmness. Friedrich Schiller
Far must thy researches
Far must thy researches go Wouldst thou learn the world to know; Thou must tempt the dark abyss Wouldst thou prove what Being is; Naught but firmness gains the prize, Naught but fullness makes us wise, Buried deep truth e’er lies. Friedrich Schiller
The shortest route is
The shortest route is not the most direct one, but rather the one where the most favorable winds swell our sails:Mthat is the lesson that seafarers teach. Not to abide by this lesson is to be obstinate: here, firmness of character is tainted with stupidity. Friedrich Nietzsche
It is only persons
It is only persons of firmness that can have real gentleness. Those who appear gentle are, in general, only a weak character, which easily changes into asperity. Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The Syllogism consists of
The Syllogism consists of propositions, propositions consist of words, words are symbols of notions. Therefore if the notions themselves (which is the root of the matter) are confused and over-hastily abstracted from the facts, there can be no firmness in the superstructure. Our only hope therefore lies in a true induction. Francis Bacon