There is no such thing as a good influence. Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtures are not real to him. His sins, if there are such thing as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him.
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Nor knowest thou what argument
Thy like to thy neighbor's creed has lent,
All are needed by read more
Nor knowest thou what argument
Thy like to thy neighbor's creed has lent,
All are needed by each one;
Nothing is fair or good alone.
Ah, who could have ever foretold that that little retrousse nose
would change the laws of an empire.
read more
Ah, who could have ever foretold that that little retrousse nose
would change the laws of an empire.
[Fr., Ah, qui jamais autoir pu dire
Que ce petit nez retrousse
Changerait les lois d'un empire.]
By the golden chain Homer meant nothing else than the sun.
By the golden chain Homer meant nothing else than the sun.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the
deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
read more
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the
deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never
so wisely.
Influencing people is dangerous. Their acts and thoughts become your illegitimate children. You can't get away from them and Heaven read more
Influencing people is dangerous. Their acts and thoughts become your illegitimate children. You can't get away from them and Heaven knows what they mayn't grow up into.
No life
Can be pure in its purpose or strong in its strife
And all life not read more
No life
Can be pure in its purpose or strong in its strife
And all life not be purer and stronger thereby.
The strongest influences in my life and my work are always whomever I love. Whomever I love and am with read more
The strongest influences in my life and my work are always whomever I love. Whomever I love and am with most of the time, or whomever I remember most vividly. I think that's true of everyone, don't you?
So when a great man dies,
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him read more
So when a great man dies,
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him lies
Upon the paths of men.
It is easier to influence strong than weak characters in life.
It is easier to influence strong than weak characters in life.
