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Real greatness has nothing to do with a man’s sphere. It does not lie in the magnitude of his outward agency, in the extent of the effects which he produces. The greatest men may do comparatively little.

William Ellery Channing

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William Ellery Channing
Age: 62 †
Born: 1780
Born: April 7
Died: 1842
Died: October 2
Pastor
Preacher
Theologian
Newport
Rhode Island
Reverend William Ellery Channing
May
Extent
Little
Greatness
Comparatively
Nothing
Effects
Magnitude
Real
Produce
Sphere
Men
Greatest
Outward
Lying
Spheres
Doe
Produces
Littles
Agency

More quotes by William Ellery Channing

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The sin that now rises to memory as your bosom sin, let this first of all be withstood and mastered. Oppose it instantly by a detestation of it, by a firm will to conquer it, by reflection, by reason, and by prayer.
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To be prosperous is not to be superior, and should form no barrier between men. Wealth out not to secure the prosperous the slightest consideration. The only distinctions which should be recognized are those of the soul, of strong principle, of incorruptible integrity, of usefulness, of cultivated intellect, of fidelity in seeking the truth.
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The fewer the voices on the side of truth, the more distinct and strong must be your own.
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It is not the quantity but the quality of knowledge which determines the mind's dignity.
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Reading is the royal road to intellectual eminence...Truly good books are more than mines to those who can understand them. They are the breathings of the great souls of past times. Genius is not embalmed in them, but lives in them perpetually.
William Ellery Channing
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But the ground of a man's culture lies in his nature, not in his calling. His powers are to be unfolded on account of their inherent dignity, not their outward direction. He is to be educated, because he is a man, not because he is to make shoes, nail, or pins.
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A man may quarrel with himself alone that is, by controverting his better instincts and knowledge when brought face to face with temptation.
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Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.
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Other blessings may be taken away, but if we have acquired a good friend by goodness, we have a blessing which improves in value when others fail.
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Undoubtedly a man is to labor to better his condition, but first to better himself.
William Ellery Channing
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A general loftiness of sentiment, independence of men, consciousness of good intentions, self-oblivion in great objects, clear views of futurity thoughts of the blessed companionship of saints and angels, trust in God as the friend of truth and virtue,--these are the states of mind in which I should live.
William Ellery Channing
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Of all the discoveries which men need to make, the most important, at the present moment, is that of the self-forming power treasured up in themselves. They little suspect its extent, as little as the savage apprehends the energy which the mind is created to exert on the material world.
William Ellery Channing
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God is another name for human intelligence raised above all error and imperfection, and extended to all possible truth.
William Ellery Channing
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The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.
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Great effort from great motives is the best definition of a happy life
William Ellery Channing
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The home is the chief school of human virtues.
William Ellery Channing
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An earnest purpose finds time, or makes it. It seizes on spare moments, and turns fragments to golden account.
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Every human being is a volume, worthy to be studied.
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Life has a higher end, than to be amused
William Ellery Channing
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The only freedom worth possessing is that which gives enlargement to a people's energy, intellect, and virtues.
William Ellery Channing