There are many shining qualities on the mind of man; but none so useful as discretion. It is this which gives a value to all the rest, and sets them at work in their proper places, and turns them to the advantage of their possessor. Without it, learning is pedantry; wit, impertinence; virtue itself looks like weakness; and the best parts only qualify a man to be more sprightly in errors, and active to his own prejudice. Though a man has all other perfections and wants discretion, he will be of no great consequence in the world; but if he has this single talent in perfection, and but a common share of others, he may do what he pleases in his station of life.
quote by Joseph Addison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Polonius: By heaven, it is as proper to our age to cast beyond ourselves in our opinions as it is common for the younger sort to lack discretion.
line from Hamlet, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare (1599)
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
Vote! | Copy! | In Spanish | In Italian | In Romanian
I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.
quote by Thomas Jefferson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.
quote by La Bruyere
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.
quote by Jean de la Bruyere
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
So Much To Do
The face of the world is a homely face,
And the look of the world unkind,
When harsh on your arm a hand it lays
And bids you into the grind,
That 's little to your mind, my dear,
That 's little to your mind.
But it 's work that counts in the world, you see;
Not what we dream, but do:
For the dreamer of dreams, whatever he be,
If he 'd have his dreams come true,
Must be a workman, too, my dear,
Must be a workman, too.
So much to do; so much to know;
So much that life would shirk!
But each is one of a hive below,
The world's great Hive of Irk,
Where each must do his work, my dear,
Each one must do his work.
A song, a look, a word of cheer,
Will help more than a sigh!
For this is the law of the hive, my dear,
That every bee must try, my dear,
And all the drones must die, my dear,
That all the drones must die.
Oft-times it seems that the end is far,
And the work we do, in vain;
That night will never reveal a star,
And day bring only rain,
To trouble our hearts again, my dear,
To trouble our hearts again.
But ever the stars are shining there
With ever the old regard;
And be it foul, or be it fair,
However long debarred,
All work has its reward, my dear,
All work has its reward.
Could summer come without the rose?
Or morn without the sun?
And thus shall toil bring soul's repose
To each and every one,
Whose work at last is done, my dear,
Whose work at last is done.
For the face of the world is a homely face,
But the look in its eyes is kind
To him who sets his heart's brisk pace
To the work he has in mind,
And turns not with the wind, my dear,
And turns not with the wind.
poem by Madison Julius Cawein
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
He had a certain frankness and generosity, qualities indeed which turn to a man's ruin, unless tempered with discretion.
quote by Cornelius Tacitus
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Most high courts in other nations do not have discretion, such as we enjoy, in selecting the cases that the high court reviews. Our court is virtually alone in the amount of discretion it has.
quote by Sandra Day O'Connor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of learning.
Complete and total perfection will come about only when we feel that our perfection is no perfections as long as the rest of humanity remains imperfect.
quote by Sri Chinmoy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Nation
Once there was a proud nation
Having omnipotence and contention
Fought land and sea battles with perfection
Not surrenderering at discretion
Would keep its enemies under tension
And subjects with great affection
But due to grave confrontation
According to biblical revelation
It ended up with starvation
And race discrimination
A terrible collapse and disintegration
Followed its fetid stagnation
poem by Aram Stefanian
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
In my wide association in life, meeting with many and great men in various parts of the world, I have yet to find the man, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.
quote by Charles M. Schwab
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy! | In Romanian
Sonnet: To Be or Not Single
In life to marry or to be single?
Is left to our discretion in this world;
To stay aloof or like streams to mingle?
Has demerits /merits like youth/ age-old.
To sit ashore and never go to sea,
Afraid of dangers yet, wanting the feel;
The sea-sick sailor yearns to land quickly;
All walk on Soles, sometimes on tips and heel.
When body’s strong, one ventures to do things;
But mind must come to take some kind of risk;
After a stage, take whatever life brings,
But never shirk any time being brisk.
Whatev’r we are, in whatever a state,
Into our souls we must, God re-instate.
6-19-2001
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Talent
Have you ever felt like you can't do anything?
Or maybe, more, you can't do anything well?
LIke everything you do is just to par,
No steep above anyone,
And always a step behind the next.
Pen against paper,
Just turns words and thoughts into something expected,
Paint against canvas,
Just turns colors into an elementary picture.
Setting to work with expectations, only to have them broken.
Or maybe even you do something well,
Or are told that you do,
And all of a sudden it, too, becomes par.
A mundane activity that changes no minds, nor lives,
Neither impresses, nor leaves impressions.
This is how I feel,
Torn apart by everything I do,
And the nothing I do well.
Left in a world of talent,
Only to realize I have none if my own.
If one were to ask me,
'what is your talent? '
I would think for a moment,
Then, I would reply,
'My talent is non talent'
I recognize talent in others,
I recognize their deserve of praise,
And it makes me happy,
But then I remember,
I have nothing to show them.
I long for something to show the world,
To open peoples' minds to beauty and art,
Yet, slowly, everyday I begin to see;
I will never be the entertainer,
Just, merely, the entertained.
By: Bethany Maxwell
©2012
poem by Bethany Maxwell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The rest is a mere matter of detail, to be settled with judgment, discretion, and caution.
quote by John Griffin Carlisle
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Great is our admiration of the orator who speaks with fluency and discretion.
quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
One Who Has Sacrificed With A Kept Pace
Something done persistently,
Eventually wears on the body and mind...
Of the one who has given time to find,
Without a resting to qualify this to be done...
Like some who give their recommendations,
Misunderstanding the drive it has taken...
To make sure things are set in place.
They would never understand,
One who has sacrificed with a kept pace.
Well...I do.
And it is not from that which I am doing today.
It is a much needed rest,
From that which has taken years in the making
To create.
Never before considered the connection between,
Aches and pains and the lack of rest.
Until my mind and body began to beg for some.
And getting as much as I can get to just rest,
To prioritize for myself is best.
And aging has made me more aware of this!
Without proper rest,
The body and mind begins to insist it be done.
And quick with a paying of attention.
Oh...
You don't need to shout so loud.
I hear you very clearly.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Hidden Talent
Written by gerry beckley, 1998
Found on human nature.
Just like a person from another world
My eyes can see inside you, little girl
I see things that you dont want to see
I see things youre trying to hide from me
Im just trying to make you understand
All the ways you can affect this man
From the moment that you came in touch
With the power there to burn so much
Youve got hidden talent (yeah)
I bet youre gonna find some hidden talent, oh
You know your past is whats been bugging you
If youre ready girl ... do what you gotta do
Look for your life between the lines
Bad directions and poor designs
Youve got hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
I bet youre gonna find some hidden talent, oh
Hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
Check it out you ... got it, hidden talent, oh
With the advantage of perspective i
See theres more to you than meets the eye
But now the time must come to spread your wings and fly
Yeah (hidden talent) yeah
Hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
I bet youre gonna find some hidden talent, oh
Hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
Check it out ... you got it, hidden talent, oh
Hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
Affair without warning
Hidden talent, mmm (mmm)
Hidden talent (hidden talent, yeah)
I bet youre gonna find some hidden talent, oh
(fade)
song performed by by America
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Now Herod was an active man, and soon found proper materials for his active spirit to work upon.
quote by Flavius Josephus
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Polyacrostic Palimpsest - Laugh, Share Magic 1873
Lift upward drive, laugh to share dream on stream,
Ail not, new dare oils pro-active vast flow.
Unspent talent lilliputians nowhere know
Gut triumph speeds, new light tells growth may gleam.
Hid heart-flow free, reap strong exalting theme.
Shining mind-share, where all rare spirits grow,
He, trustful, teaching, special harvests sow,
As scope one's way shows, hope, no scrappy scheme
Reacts to take back stray heyday insight's beam.
Each must shine, more, unite for talents glow
May offer useful growth, autonomy show
Assuring this, grey past taos to light's dream.
Gauge this echo. If sonnet sets free soul,
I come to you, sing on, heart aspiring whole.
(23 March 2009)
poem by Jonathan Robin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Eulogy For Michael Jackson
All of the glory, all of the fame
everybody knew his name.
But they did not know what made him tick.
And they did not know how it made him sick.
Inside the body that housed his soul
were shades of darkness that accompanied his role.
The vibrancy and talent of all he could do
was a gift that only comes to a few.
But the gift must be nourished and never abused
or it turns into a curse that becomes misused
by all of the parasitic leeches who prey
on a talent like Michael's every single day.
And in the final words that are said
He, my friends was already dead.
Dead in his spirit, dead in his mind
only alive in those who could find
the rarity of talent that captured their heart,
the oneness with God that flowed through his art.
What they will remember is what they did see.
What they'll forget is 'Who was he? '
A tortured soul
who's now at rest.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!