Philosiblog: Famous Quotes Explained - The Examined Life

communication | courage | discovery | friendship | listening | risk | sharing

Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title.
Byphilosiblog 25 January 201225 January 2012

Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title. – Virginia Woolf What does that mean? To me, this quote speaks of the differences between our private lives and our public lives, those things we express and the things which remain hidden deep within us. How our friends can only read the…

Read More Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title.
belief | courage | ideals | listening | passion | reflection

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life
Byphilosiblog 24 January 201224 January 2012

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life. – Winston Churchill What does that mean? This quote is about enemies, and one of the ways you accumulate them. Specifically, this quote talks about getting enemies by taking a stand for something. Standing for something tends to annoy those who stand…

Read More You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life
attitude | choice | emotion | observation | pride | risk

Things are never so bad they can’t be made worse
Byphilosiblog 23 January 201223 January 2012

Things are never so bad they can’t be made worse. – Humphrey Bogart What does that mean? This quote is listed as being from the motion picture “The African Queen,” where he is the Captain of an ill-fated little steamer. Without going into the details, his ship gets banged up, shot up, sunk, suffers attacks by wild animals, and he almost gets himself hung. It…

Read More Things are never so bad they can’t be made worse
attitude | contentment | emotion | happiness | obstacles | reflection

The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness
Byphilosiblog 22 January 2012

The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This quote says it’s all in your mind. To be happy, or to not be happy. Happiness already exists within you, in your state of mind and in…

Read More The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness
choice | creativity | friendship | habits | individuality | self-image

Men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and act by imitation
Byphilosiblog 21 January 201221 January 2012

Men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and act by imitation. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? This is a Twitter friendly version of the full quote. However, I believe that it stands well on it’s own, and it shall be addressed in this blog as it stands. This quote talks about originality, or…

Read More Men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and act by imitation
action | flexibility | independence | persistence | personal growth | strength

You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there
Byphilosiblog 20 January 201220 January 2012

You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there. – George Burns What does that mean? This is another light-hearted quote, in honor of George Burns’ birthday. The quote talks about how you know you’re getting old. Coming from a gentleman…

Read More You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you’re down there
discipline | focus | goals | plan | procrastination | time

If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered
Byphilosiblog 19 January 201219 January 2012

If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered. – Edgar Allan Poe What does that mean? I literally laughed out loud when I saw this one. It is amazing, and so true (at least for me). I regularly tell people, “I don’t know, I wrote…

Read More If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered
advice | belief | potential | strength | thinking | wisdom

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. A. A. Milne
Byphilosiblog 18 January 201218 January 2012

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. (Christopher Robbin to Pooh) – A. A. Milne What does that mean? This quote, being spoken by a fictional character, might seem a little less weighty than might otherwise be expected, but I still find it…

Read More Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. A. A. Milne
caution | courage | decision | fear | reflection | risk

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
Byphilosiblog 17 January 201217 January 2012

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. – German proverb What does that mean? To me, this quote is reminding us that our emotions are powerful, and can be used to help us or to hurt us. A wolf is not a good thing to run into, especially since they rarely come alone. Even…

Read More Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
compassion | happiness | hope | judgement | kindness | love

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude
Byphilosiblog 16 January 201216 January 2012

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude. – Martin Luther King Jr. What does that mean? To forgive is defined at theFreeDictionary.com as “To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.” or “To renounce anger or resentment against.” This quote urges us not to just engage in this great act of compassion on a…

Read More Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude
desire | friendship | happiness | individuality | passion | value

In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, I believe we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal.
Byphilosiblog 15 January 201215 January 2012

In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, I believe we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? We are all equal in a couple ways, and unequal in plenty of others. We all have exactly the same number of hours in the day. We are all…

Read More In our quest for happiness and the avoidance of suffering, I believe we are all fundamentally the same, and therefore equal.
attitude | emotion | happiness | hope | passion | perseverance

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great
Byphilosiblog 14 January 201214 January 2012

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? To me, the first part of the quote is the essence of enthusiasm. If you are ready, willing and able, nothing will be able to withstand your efforts for very long. Your willingness becomes the core of the effort, allowing…

Read More Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great
communication | desire | discipline | pride | repetition | self improvement

There’s nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility is being superior to your former self
Byphilosiblog 13 January 201213 January 2012

There’s nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility is being superior to your former self. – Hemingway What does that mean? This quote is also attributed to Elijah Wood, who is a bit younger than the Ernest Hemingway. When I find a quote with multiple attributions, I usually go with the…

Read More There’s nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility is being superior to your former self
communication | education | knowledge | reflection | self improvement | time

Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in
Byphilosiblog 12 January 20127 January 2014

Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in. – Arthur Schopenhauer What does that mean? The Twitter version of this quote is interesting enough, but the full version of the quote is, I believe, a bit more interesting: “Buying books would be a good thing…

Read More Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in
beauty | effort | friendship | ideals | integrity | sympathy

The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal
Byphilosiblog 11 January 201211 January 2012

The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal. – Aristotle What does that mean? For those who never had two or more dogs, this might not make much sense. But if you ever had more than one dog at the same time, you know that there is no such thing…

Read More The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal