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Quote by Richard Wilbur

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Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur

Richard Wilbur is an American poet renowned for his elegant style and profound themes. His works blend classical and modern elements, earning him the admiration of readers and critics alike. more

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“Try to remember this: what you project Is what you will perceive; what you perceive With any passion, be it love or terror, May take on whims and powers of its own. Therefore a numb and grudging circumspection Will serve you best - unless you overdo it, Watching your step too narrowly, refusing To specify a world, shrinking your purview To a tight vision of your inching shoes, Which may, as soon as you come to think, be crossing An unseen gorge upon a rotten trestle.”

ThinkingWorldTryingMayRememberPassionVisionStepsProjectsShoesTerrorPerceiveUnseenRottenCrossingsNumbWhimShrinkingGorgesCircumspection
Book:Collected Poems 1943-2004
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“The core of ethics runs deep in our species and is common to human beings everywhere. It survives the most appalling hardships and the most ruthless attempts to deprive human beings of their humanity. Nevertheless, some people resist the idea that his core has a biological basis which we have inherited from our pre-human ancestors.”

PeopleHumansIdeasRunningHumanityHuman BeingsCommonEthicsBasesSpeciesCoreHardshipAncestorNeverthelessRuthless
Book:The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress
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“The only justifiable stopping place for for the expansion of altruism is the point at which all whose welfare can be affected by our actions are included within the circle of altruism. This means that all beings with the capacity to feel pleasure or pain should be included; we can improve their welfare by increasing their pleasures and diminishing their pains.”

FeelsShouldMeanActionPainPleasureCapacityCirclesWelfareAffectedExpansionAltruismStoppingOur Actions
Book:The expanding circle: ethics and sociobiology
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