In the time of your life, live - so that in good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding-place and let it be free and unashamed. Place in matter and in flesh the least of the values, for these are things that hold death and must pass away. Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond corruption. Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been driven into secrecy and sorrow by the shame and terror of the world. Ignore the obvious, for it is unworthy of the clear eye and the kindly heart. Be the inferior of no man, nor of any man be the superior. Remember that every man is a variation of yourself. No man's guilt is not yours, nor is any man's innocence a thing apart. Despise evil and ungodliness, but not men of ungodliness or evil. These, understand. Have no shame in being kindly and gentle, but if the time comes in the time of your life to kill, kill and have no regret. In the time of your life, live - so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Live fully and seek goodness while ignoring material decay and treating all people as equal variations of oneself.
- In plain terms
- Live well find goodness and treat everyone as equal to you.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize virtue and equality over material things.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you find goodness daily?
- Who deserves your equal respect?
Another view
Ignoring the obvious can sometimes lead to neglecting real dangers.
More from William Saroyan
A play is a world, with its own inhabitants and its own laws and its values.
Permalink to quote #91 Art comes from the world, belongs to it, can never escape from it.
Permalink to quote #89 Don't forget that some things count more than other things.
Permalink to quote #92
Related quotes
Mas, sea verdad o sueno, obrar bien es lo que importa. Si fuere verdad, por serlo; si no, por ganar amigos para cuando despertemos.
Pedro Calderon de la BarcaPedro Calderon de la Barca quote #3 Character is the entity, the individuality of the person, shining from every window of the soul, either as a beam of purity, or as a clouded ray that betrays t…
William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan quote #12 In a certain sense the Good is comfortless.
Franz KafkaFranz Kafka quote #20