Be noble! and the nobleness that lies In other men, sleeping but never dead, Will rise in majesty to meet thine own.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote suggests that embodying nobility in oneself inspires latent nobility in others to surface.
- In plain terms
- Act nobly and you will awaken nobility in other people.
- What can you take from it?
- Lead by example to inspire virtue in others.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do your actions influence those around you?
- What does nobility mean to you?
Another view
It assumes all people have latent nobility which may not be universally true.
More from James Russell Lowell
As life runs on, the road grows strange With faces new, and near the end The milestones into headstones change, 'Neath every one a friend.
Permalink to quote #34 Great truths are portions of the soul of man; Great souls are portions of eternity.
Permalink to quote #36 These pearls of thought in Persian gulfs were bred, Each softly lucent as a rounded moon; The diver Omar plucked them from their bed, Fitzgerald strung them on…
Permalink to quote #33
Related quotes
Virtue is its own reward.
Ancius BoethiusAncius Boethius quote #1 Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.
James ShirleyJames Shirley quote #5 Absolute Evil is not the kingdom of hell. The inhabitants of hell are ourselves, i.e., those who pay our painful, embarrassing, humanistic duties to society an…
V. S PritchettV. S Pritchett quote #7