Henry David Thoreau

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.

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Henry David Thoreau

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good be good for something.

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Henry David Thoreau

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.

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The Moral Rights

‘The moral rights of the author
have been asserted’… that, I’m told,
is what I should say when I write
anything for publication here; even before
I say anything..

It means, I guess, the more, the less..
than ‘Copyright’ which normally
gets printed just above it;
which just means, don’t copy this;

whereas ‘moral rights’ convey
so much more…
suggesting that I even possess morality;
which, considering my wild, undisciplined
former life, you might well question..

but note, I merely ‘assert’ them;
feel free to challenge them (you note that ‘rights’
are plural; plenty lawyer’s fees there
to say, well maybe this, not that…

and you’re free (your defending counsel may assert)
to copy my poem and put your own name to it;
since truth can be in no man’s sole possession,
and my poem, bless its metered tropes,
speaks naught but the truth..

though now I mention ‘truth’, I don’t recall
that phrase about the moral rights
upon the title-page of, let’s say,
the Gospels; Books of Moses; Qu’ran; Upanishads;
those guys on whom we’ve so long depended
to tell us what morality should be..

so please understand, that when I ‘assert’,
it’s more for my self-image than for yours;
makes me feel good; I must be
a serious author, if (in the subtext, scholars footnote)
the moral underpinning may be detected..

and that said – now to the poem.. Except
now I’ve forgotten what I was going to say..

Perhaps that, too, is a moral issue; but
I have the right to remain silent..
even if I’m up on this morality charge..

my defence is, that my Muse,
hearing the word ‘morality’,
flees my company. ’Twas ever so.

poem by Michael ShepherdReport problemRelated quotes
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In its original literal sense, "moral relativism" is simply moral complexity. That is, anyone who agrees that stealing a loaf of bread to feed one's children is not the moral equivalent of, say, shoplifting a
dress for the fun of it, is a relativist of sorts. But in recent years, conservatives bent on reinstating an essentially religious vocabulary of absolute good and evil as the only legitimate framework for discussing social values have redefined "relative" as "arbitrary." That conflation has been reinforced by social theorists and advocates of identity politics who argue that there is no universal morality, only the value systems of particular cultures and power structures.

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Henry David Thoreau

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

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But I’m Just So Good At It

I don’t want to appear embarrassingly ungrateful,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to seem uninterested and bored,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to be ignorant and rude,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to be unhappy and miserable,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t wish to moan and complain,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to be bigheaded and loud,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to stab any one in the back,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to cheat and lie,
but I’m just so good at it.
I don’t want to die full of sorrow and regret,
but I’ll be so good at it.

poem by Orlando BeloReport problemRelated quotes
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Fundamental of Liar Chapter LXX: Good Vs Bad

Good is always in simple mind, bad always thinks how to trick
Good is always in simple way, bad always finds the escape
Good is always in simple manner, bad always fakes to cheat
Good is always in simple purpose, bad always has a catch
Good is always in simple reason, bad always uses layered lies
Good is always in simple trust, bad always changes the side
Good is always in simple life, bad always watches his back
Good is always in simple word, bad always talks complicated
Good is always in simple fun, bad always tired to understand
Good is always in simple hope, bad always tries to control the world
Good is always in simple choice, bad always looks what’s the point
Good is always in simple act, bad always counts the advantage
Good is always in simple thing, bad always exaggerates what have been

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The essence of morality is a questioning about morality and the decisive move of human life is to use ceaselessly all light to look for the origin of the opposition between good and evil.

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The essence of morality is a questioning about morality; and the decisive move of human life is to use ceaselessly all light to look for the origin of the opposition between good and evil.

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In a constitutional democracy the moral content of law must be given by the morality of the framer or legislator, never by the morality of the judge.

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The essential function of art is moral. But a passionate, implicit morality, not didactic. A morality which changes the blood, rather than the mind.

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Matthew Arnold

The true meaning of religion is thus, not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.

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Matthew Arnold

The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.

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Be Good Johnny

Skip de skip, up the road
Off to school we go
Dont you be a bad boy johnny
Dont you slip up
Or play the fool
Oh no ma, oh no da,
Ill be your golden boy
I will obey evry golden rule
Get told by the teacher
Not to day-dream
Told by my mother:
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good be good (johnny)
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good (johnny)
Be good be good.
Are you going to play football this year, john?
No!
Oh, well you must be going to play cricket this year then,
Are you johnny?
No! no! no!
Boy, you sure are a funny kid, johnny, but I like you! so tell me,
What kind of a boy are you, john?
I only like dreaming
All the day long
Where no one is screaming
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good be good (johnny)
Be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Be good be good be good
Johnny!

song performed by by Men At WorkReport problemRelated quotes
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You're So Good

If you were an apple, I would take a bite
If you were a lemon, I would squeeze you tight
You're so good, I've got to have you
You're so good that nothing else matters
You're so good, you're so good, you're so good for me
If you were a penny, you'd be good as gold
If you were a snowball, I would love the cold
'Cause you're so good, I've got-got to have you
You're so good that nothing else matters
You're so good, you're so good, you're so good,
You're so good for me
If you were a candle, I would light your fire
And if you were hard labor, I would never tire
'Cause you're good, I've got-got to have you
You're so good that nothing else matters
You're so good, you're so good, you're so good
You're so good for me
You're so good for me
You're so good, you're so good, you're so good for me

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What's Good

Life's like a mayonnaise soda
And life's like space without room
And life's like bacon and ice cream
That's what life's like without you
Life's like forever becoming
But life's forever dealing in hurt
Now life's like death without living
That's what life's like without you
Life's like Sanskrit read to a pony
I see you in my mind's eye strangling on your tongue
What's good is knowing such devotion
I've been around - I know what makes things run
What good is seeing eye chocolate
What good's a computerized nose
And what good was cancer in April
Why no good - no good at all
What good's a war without killing
What good is rain that falls up
What good's a disease that won't hurt you
Why no good, I guess, no good at all
What good are these thoughts that I'm thinking
It must be better not to be thinking at all
A styrofoam lover with emotions of concrete
No not much, not much at all
What's good is life without living
What good's this lion that barks
You loved a life others throw away nightly
It's not fair, not fair at all
What's good ?
Life's good -
But not fair at all

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I Am Not Good Enough

I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH

I am not good enough.
I will never be good enough.
I will die not having been good enough,
And the world will go on
Without my name
My memory
My immortality
My place among mankind’s true creators.

I have not been good enough
I will never be good enough
I have had enough evidence
And lived long enough
To know this.

Why then can I not be wise
And accept it?
Why must I try to the end
To be what I will never be?
God Who has given me so much
Has not given me this
I should simply accept it..

But I do not and cannot…

So I write this.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
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Porpoise Song

My, my the clock in the sky is pounding away
Theres so much to say
A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice
And it cannot rejoice
Wanting to be, to hear and to see
Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Clicks, clacks
Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while
The ego sings of castles and kings and things
That go with a life of style
Wanting to feel, to know what is real
Living is a lie
But the porpoise is waiting good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye

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Porpoise Song {Theme From 'Head'}

My, my the clock in the sky is pounding away
There's so much to say
A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice
And it cannot rejoice
Wanting to be, to hear and to see
Crying to the sky
But the porpoise is laughing good-bye, good-bye
good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Clicks, clacks
Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while
The ego sings of castles and kings and things
That go with a life of style
Wanting to feel, to know what is real
Living is a lie
But the porpoise is waiting good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye
Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye

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And If I Am A Mediocrity?

AND IF I AM A MEDIOCRITY?

And if I am a mediocrity?
And what I have written is not worthy of remembrance?
And if I belong to the great mass of those not good enough?
And if all I have done disappears as if it never were?
And I also?

Should I blame myself
Or simply say God made me not good enough?
Should I feel sad and a failure
Or simply resign myself to what is the case?
Should I protest in anger
Or simply go on meeting the obligations of my life
As best I can?

I know the answer.
Being the best person I can
Especially to those closest to me
Is what is most important.

Mediocre or not as a writer
I must try to be a decent human being-
This is what the service of God really means-
And this is what all of us can try to do,
Wherever we are in the world of work and accomplishment.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
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