The sophist sneers: Fool, take Thy pleasure, right or wrong! The pious wail: Forsake A world these sophists throng! Be neither saint nor sophist-led, but be a man.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Ignore both the cynic who says do whatever you want and the religious who say reject the world; just be yourself.
- In plain terms
- Do not follow the cynical or the religious blindly; just be a real human.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid extremes and live authentically.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who influences your choices?
- How do you define yourself?
Another view
Some situations require taking a clear moral stand.
More from Matthew Arnold
Hither and thither spins The wind-borne mirroring soul, A thousand glimpses wins, And never sees a whole.
Permalink to quote #60 Thou hast no right to bliss.
Permalink to quote #62 Time may restore us in his course Goethe's sage mind and Byron's force; But where will Europe's latter hour Again find Wordsworth's healing power?
Permalink to quote #59
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