You don't have to be ill to get better.

I don't know how it feels to lose yet, I've never stopped trying to win.

“And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
― Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40)

There's a dozen or so iterations of this idea, but I happened on this one, and I don't give Jesus enough props for his work, so I'm going with this version. I'm not religious and specifically left the Christian Church, but this particular call to arms has resonated with me throughout my own journey to greater understanding. It's a pretty straightforward but nonetheless powerful challenge: Treat everyone as the full person they are, with the respect and empathy they deserve, as though they were your closest friend or your own flesh and blood. It's hard -- how easy is it to compartmentalize or shoehorn people based on the role they play in their life? But it's a hell of a worthy goal and one for which we should all aspire nonetheless.

I like the idea of adding what it means to us. Let's keep this alive as I would like to add to it over the months into the future

Pro tip to you Eden and I hope people don't jump down my throat for this but calling him Jesus Christ is a belief claim (it means Messiah in Greek), so if you aren't Christian or are in a secular environment Jesus of Nazareth is often more appropriate.

THAT being said, that is also one of my favorite sayings of Jesus. Expressed so cleanly and concisely is the very soul of universal ethics. It's a radical statement that is as rascal, humane, and uplifting today as it ever was.

I however prefer the alternative formulation in the negative: whatever you did not do for the least of my brethren, you did not do for me. I think it's more convicting than the first because it reminds that inaction and turning a blind eye is a moral choice as well.

But anyway my all time favorite saying of Jesus is

"Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

This isn't just theologically revolutionary. It displays a moral intuition on the part of Jesus that singlehandedly elevates him into the elite class of prophets and sages we have had, puts him squarely in "saint" category with Buddha and Socrates.

Love The Lord your God (the totality of everything and the power that rules it, which is itself God) with all your heart (emotional passion), soul (sense of spirituality and personhood), and mind (reason). And love your neighbor as yourself, which is one of the most concise ways to provide the core teaching that all humans are moral equals and deserve to be treated as such. Love your neighbor as yourself.

These two laws are the core of not just an ethical system that has been more or less independently intuited all over the world, but also espouses a cogent and persuasive view of metaphysics that I share - all that really "exists" is the Universe/God and any persons in it, which are made in its image.

If anything would make at least feel that Christians who believe this and live this are right, even if I don't become one myself, it is this: the greatest teaching of their greatest teacher.

I'll just knock on with another one real quick that has proved huge for me, and yes I trotted it out to Octavious in another thread a few days ago:

"Our whole life is startlingly moral. There is never an instant's truce between virtue and vice. Goodness is the only investment that never fails." -Thoreau

This one is great because it expands Jesus' moral teaching into the temporal. Highly consequentialist, it summarizes an epiphany I had in 2011 that every second of every day, there is a "right" thing to do, and damned if I shouldn't try to figure out what it is and do it all the time. Anything else would be willfully throwing away my duty to myself as a human to do the right thing. Before this I had been raised with a moral conception where you bumble along all vanilla and unassuming, neither doing good nor bad till you are tempted or tested - then you have the chance to do evil (maybe shoot heroin) or do good (help an old lady with her groceries). But in between such events is neutral dead time. Not so. Not at all.

The resulting realization has led to more practical and concrete lifestyle changes than I ever could have predicted at the time. It has served as a constant source of inspiration to be proactive in my life.

A few examples, to show how major: it made me become vegetarian. It made me ditch my car. It made me change my career track. It made me keep a budget. It made me reuse old things and wear things out. It made me take people seriously that I would have tried to ignore or avoid previously (and I gained some true friends in the process. Like he said - the only investment that never fails). It made me donate bone marrow, it made me come to New Orleans, it made me leave my previous job, it made me treat my sexual partners completely differently, indeed it made me quit porn, stop smoking cigarettes, stop eating fast food, stop drinking so much, start meditating, floss, study technical and practical aspects of food production, and more. And even now it is making do things (like this trip to Jamaica to work on a farm) that are concrete, physical steps to do good, rather than sitting on my lucky privileged ass just talking about it because it's interesting.

I don't mean to brag; in fact I see these changes as almost externally imposed. I find it easy to do what once I would never have even considered doing because I see it as a duty and a privilege to do these things , because I believe they are right.

Just re-read that and it totally comes off like a sanctimonious pissing contest. If anything the quote I shared with you has also shown me how amazingly far I have get to go and how little I have done compared to what I can still do.

"Pro tip to you Eden and I hope people don't jump down my throat for this but calling him Jesus Christ is a belief claim (it means Messiah in Greek), so if you aren't Christian or are in a secular environment Jesus of Nazareth is often more appropriate."

Noted! Didn't know that, good to know, thanks.

And I love that one as well. I've been rereading parts of the Bible in a different light lately. God is the source of inner strength for all Christians; so I've been replacing references to God with that idea (source of inner strength). My take on it is to commit the totality of your person to find and develop that inner strength, and to use it to better others' lives the best way you can. Again, not explicitly the intention of the quote, but it's a similar conclusion, and I do think it's a legitimate challenge to nonbelievers who might otherwise throw out the first half of that quote (or hell, the whole thing, after reading the first half).

Oops, mega-ninja'd lmao

"That one" was referring to the Bible verse you posted first, haven't read the other bits yet.

Nah, that's not the beginning of a pissing contest at all. If it caused all those changes then it'd be a slight to the magnitude of that realization not to mention them.

Also a great quote! Thoreau's pretty damn good. I agree with it completely, though I have to admit I've also failed to live up to it an awful lot. Trying to do better about living up to it.

Yeah totally. On the one hand a lot of Christians discourage the more secular or agnostic from reading it with that metaphorical eye, but what's funny is that doing so makes me take the whole thing and indeed their whole religion so much more seriously.

Of course God is invisible, everywhere, all-powerful, and unified (monotheist). And all good! Isn't good that the universe exists (something rather than nothing)? Isn't it true that the universe is a unified whole? Isn't it true that every place that exists exists as part of the universe? Isn't it true that anything that is possible can happen in the universe? Isn't it true that the whole of it will never be in our power to fully see or grasp?

I fine the metaphor so compelling as to suspect it is not simply a coincidence.

Yeah I think if there is one thing that makes Thoreau so great is that his emphasis was on actually LIVING an examined life, not just talking about it. Actually get up and have a go at it. It resonates with me more than I am fully capable of expressing honestly. So fucking right. Lol

This is the wrong place to discuss it, so if you are willing I'd be interested in you starting a thread about it, but what do you hope to achieve with your Jamaica expedition? Fully understand if you want to give that discussion a miss though.

Eh I don't really want to make a "look at me!"
thread so, briefly, I'm going because it's a tropical mountain climate which is fairly similar to central Africa's. I want to learn as much as possible about ag in the Sahel and in central highland Africa, but Jamaica is closer and cheaper to start with. The idea is just to get my hands dirty and learn as much as I can from my host. I've read a lot about farming but haven't done much rural farming myself, so this is the first of what I hope will be several trips to work on farms in tropical places. It's also meant to serve as a catalyst to get me put two and two together with what I've learned from books and what I see in the field , and the reverse when I return home and get back to my internship.

Anyway here's another quote:

"Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." -Laozi, Tao Te Ching

Self-improvement, to me, is the key that unlocks the rest of the world's potential. The more I can train myself to react calmly and healthily to what comes my way, the better off I am. The quote is right - master myself is the greatest obstacle but the most rewarding as well.

this may not be as high-class as all your votes (i mean, starting a thread like this off with a quote from jesus really sets the bar), but this is one of the most important quotes for me, kind of goes hand in hand with the laozi quote:

"how could anyone know me when i don't even know myself?" -matt johnson (the the, giant)

apart from GIANT being an awesome song, i couldn't agree more with this quote. if you don't understand yourself, no one can understand you. this also means for me that before you try and change others, change yourself.

"Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well." --Jack London

I like this one because it reminds me that whatever unplanned, unfortunate, and unfair blows chance deals me, it will not give me an excuse to give up doing good. If my ability to do it is less, so be it, but let me continue to work at it. There's no time like the present.

“Chance encounters are what keep us going.”
― Haruki Murakami

I think this one's pretty straightforward. Daily life is a careful balance between maintaining routine enough to function healthily and happily and not allowing routine to engulf our days and engender complacency. Chance encounters shake up our routine and knock us out of our tendencies to go on autopilot; they're critical to making genuine connections with other people, whether fleeting, one-time meetings with total strangers or the beginnings of the iron-strong bond of close friendships. Chance encounters keep us going because they provide us with opportunities beyond the ordinary to get in touch with our own humanity.

“Men have committed murder for jealousy's sake, and anger's sake, and hatred's sake, and selfishness' sake, and spiritual pride's sake, but no man I ever heard of, ever committed a diabolical murder for sweet charity's sake. Mere self-interest, then, if no better motive can be enlisted, should, especially with high-tempered men, prompt all beings to charity and philanthropy.”
― Herman Melville

Again, pretty straightforward. I've believed for a long time that even the widely-considered "base" motive of self-interest should lead people to be charitable and kind to others. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't influence my decisions; though I conceptualize them in other terms, self-interest always plays a part. In particular I'm frustrated with my ideological brothers and sisters who tend toward, in my view, myopic, egocentric selfishness. Charity is a vital component of the human experience, one in which people should partake with much greater regularity.

Have you read the story of Lazarus and the rich man?

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." (Woodrow Wilson)

Ya, sure have. Pretty good example of charity being in one's self-interest ;)

Kidding aside it's a good story. The moral seems a little harsh to me -- I don't see what was unreasonable about the request to send warning to his brothers -- but I appreciate how point-blank it is about the necessity of charity.

well yeah agreed about it being harsh, but I think it's just to drive home the point of: don't be a dick

"We are all failures, at least all the best of us." -- J. M. Barrie

I really think it's hard to articulate all that this quote is saying without a full appreciation of Barrie's life and corpus; but I think it is just a wonderful quote, which both encourages people to strive for standards that they cannot ultimately meet, and uncynically expresses sympathy and great sadness for the flaws that keep them from fully meeting their aspired ideals.

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."
Socrates

"I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do."

-Jana Stanfield

Saw it on a dude's t-shirt just now and it sums up my general feelings on ethics quite well.

Sweet bump and sweeter quote, I love it.

"When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete
everybody will respect you.

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity."

-Laozi

This quote reminds me that what is right is right, and the way I should direct my life exists independently of myself and my own interests. If it makes me look bad, or hurts me, this is just another fact of life. Whatever the obstacles, I have to trust that it's worth doing.

"Hodor."

Let's get this back on track!

“Magnanimity: this virtue of the great and of the small (Non coerceri maximo contineri minimo, divinum est), that makes us always look to the horizon. What does it mean to be magnanimous? It means to have a big heart, to have a great spirit; it means to have great ideals, the desire to do great things to respond to that which God asks of us, and exactly this doing of daily things well, all of the daily acts, obligations, encounters with people; doing everyday small things with a big heart open to God and to others.”
― Pope Francis

There's a lot of good in this message for people from all walks of life. Magnanimity in dealing with others -- an enthusiastic willingness to help others with the troubles, big and small, which plague them, a conscious choice to respond to anger and derision with love and grace, a willful decision to show clemency instead of vengeance with those who've wronged you -- is the greatest virtue. People err all the time, and you won't get very far holding their errors against them forever. Forgiveness truly is divine.

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it."
--Luke 17:33

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”
-- Matthew 20:16


I find these verses an eerie echo of Laozi:

"The Master stays behind;
that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things;
that is why she is one with them.
Because she has let go of herself,
she is perfectly fulfilled."

To me what these things mean is that fulfillment and meaning in life comes from aligning yourself to something more meaningful than yourself. For me, it is ethical obligation, a word I don't like to use, because it implies being begrudged. Rather, this duty pervades everything, and guides me, and gives me life even. Humility is par for the course. Or at least it's meant to be.

I disagree in one aspect, obligation doesn't and needn't imply begrudging acceptance (outside of the Kantian understanding of it, but I think Kant is wrong, so there! yeah!). Parents are obligated to care for their children, and yet they often do this wholeheartedly, happily and without reservation. Obligation doesn't imply a particular mindset; the individual under obligation has total control over his reaction to his obligation.

Getting to the main point though, I agree! Living for yourself isn't fulfilling because I think we all have an innate desire to live for something greater than that. Living strictly for yourself is just perpetuating your own existence. I think everyone should strive to find some higher goal, whether working to improve one's community or imparting one's understanding to others and inspiring them to live to be their best, that best utilizes one's talents in the service of oneself and others.

"life is always beautiful. it's only the people that are sad all the time."

“Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast,
Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost!
Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join;
To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine.”
― Alexander Pope

Straightforward and excellent. I included the lines before the classic one at the end to get some added context. While the famous line "to err is human; to forgive, divine" is well-known and stands alone quite well, the context carries an additional lesson here. Pope wrote this in his poem "An Essay Concerning Criticism," and it provides an important reminder for people when critiquing others: remember that there's another human being at the receiving end of your criticism! Criticism is fundamentally good, as it provides feedback for where we make mistakes and points us toward improvement, but it must be carefully couched so as not to be demoralizing. Use "good sense" in delivering criticism but be "good-natured" as well to avoid allowing your criticism to fall into crass bashing instead of a legitimate avenue to self-improvement.

Good shit

“You have heard that it was said, 'Love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain to the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?”
― Matthew 5:43-46

It's important to remember that your enemies are human, too. No one actively, knowingly seeks to do wrong or be a bad person. Loving people who love you is easy. Loving people you hate, loving people who hate you, and turning enemies into friends are all important steps toward self-fulfillment.

I agree, which is why it's so painful when someone refused to make any attempt to reconcile with you. There is always scope for redemption.

“You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. I start by saying – and this is the fundamental thing – that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience. Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience.”
― Pope Francis

Certainly relevant for me if you've been reading this thread. It's pretty obvious to me that "sin" in a secular reinterpretation of Christian doctrine is disobeying your conscience. Having the pope back that conclusion up is pretty cool. I still don't think I could call myself a Christian, but it's pretty encouraging to know that the Christian God would accept me as I am anyway.

"Our problem today is that we have allowed the internal to become lost in the external ... So much of modern life can be summarized in that arresting dictum of the poet Thoreau: 'Improved means to an unimproved end'."

-Martin Luther King

Less an inspirational quote than a convicting quote. As we strive to make progress we should remember what kind of progress we are actually making, and to what end.