Quotessence
Home / Topics / Reflection Quotes

Reflection Quotes

Browse 3084 quotes about Reflection.

Related topics

PeopleThinkingIfsWorldMirrorsMenMindWaySelfKnowsLooksSelf ReflectionArtGivingWantHumansFeelsActionEyeKindPersonsRealitySoulMadeLife IsMomentsLightNeedsDoeFirstsIdeasShouldRealWellsDifferentWritingDreamMayYearsTryingWaterHeartBelieveCultureFacesLittlesMeanStatesReflectingStillsCharacterFeelingsImportantBookSometimesInspirationalValuesBeautifulBodySeemsSpiritLongFactsMusic IsPastProcessConsciousnessFormHas BeensIndividualLanguageMeditationTodayLifeMightUseLevelsMatterQuietReasonRememberArtistFilmGlassesOur LivesTurnsUnderstandingUniverseDirectMovingObjectsSaidSawsSpiritualStoriesTwoChildrenDarkEnergyGivenmore

Reflection Quotes

“Reading, reflection and time have convinced me that the interests of society require the observation of those moral precepts only in which all religions agree (for all forbid us to steal, murder, plunder, or bear false witness), and that we should not intermeddle with the particular dogmas in which all religions differ, and which are totally unconnected with morality.”

ShouldReadingInterestMoralParticularBearsMoralityReflectionMurderAgreeConvincedStealingObservationWitnessDogmaPlunderFalse Witness
Book:Jefferson: Political Writings
Create image

“There is a saying that no man has tasted the full flavour of life until he has known poverty, love and war. The justness of this reflection commends it to the lover of condensed philosophy. The three conditions embrace about all there is in life worth knowing. A surface thinker might deem that wealth should be added to the list. Not so. When a poor man finds a long-hidden quarter-dollar that has slipped through a rip into his vest lining, he sounds the pleasure of life with a deeper plummet than any millionaire can hope to cast.”

MenShouldLongWarPhilosophyMightThreeSoundWealthPleasurePoorKnownPovertyKnowingConditionsLoversReflectionEmbraceDollarsCastsDeeperSurfaceListsThinkerQuartersRipMillionairePoor ManFlavourPleasures Of LifeVestsLove And War
Book:Delphi Complete Works of O. Henry (Illustrated)
Create image

“There is, however, no advantage in reflections on the past further than may be of service to the present. For the future we must provide by maintaining what the present gives us and redoubling our efforts; it is hereditary to us to win virtue as the fruit of labour, and you must not change the habit, even though you should have a slight advantage in wealth and resources; for it is not right that what was won in want should be lost in plenty.”

WantGivingShouldMayPastWinningLostWealthEffortVirtueHabitReflectionResourcesAdvantageShould HaveFruitPlentyLabourMaintainingHereditary
Book:The Peloponnesian War
Create image

“Inevitably I came to associate any wine I met with a specific place and a particular slant of history. I learned to perceive more than could be deduced from an analysis of the physical elements in the glass. For me, an important part of the pleasure of wine is its reflection of the total environment that produced it. If I find in a wine no hint of where it was grown, no mark of the summer when the fruit ripened, and no indication of the usages common among those who made it, I am frustrated and disappointed. Because that is what a good, honest wine should offer.”

IfsShouldMadeImportantPleasureCommonEnvironmentHonestParticularMetsOffersElementsSummerReflectionMarkWineFruitGlassesMade ItPerceiveAnalysisDisappointedFrustratedAssociatesHintsIndicationUsage
Book:A Vineyard in My Glass
Create image

“Towards orthodox religion, father's own attitude remained one of tolerance. He looked upon the New Testament as the noble story of a human being which, because of ignorance and the lack of printing presses, had become exaggerated. He maintained that religions served their purpose; some people depended on them all their lives to make them honest. Others did not need to be so held in line. But subjection to any church was a reflection on strength and character. You should be able to get from yourself what you had to go go church for.”

PeopleNeedsShouldHumansCharacterStoriesAblePurposeFatherChurchLinesHuman BeingsAttitudeAtheismHonestIgnoranceReflectionPressesPositive AtheismNobleToleranceOrthodoxTestamentNew TestamentPrintingExaggeratedPrinting PressSubjection
Book:The Autobiography of Margaret Sanger
Create image

“A principle familiar to propagandists is that the doctrine to be instilled in the target audience should not be articulated: that would only expose them to reflection, inquiry, and, very likely, ridicule. The proper procedure is to drill them home by constantly presupposing them, so that they become the very condition for discourse.”

ShouldHomePrinciplesAudienceConditionsReflectionDoctrineFamiliarTargetDiscourseInquiryRidiculeProceduresDrillsTarget AudiencePropagandist
Book:Letters from Lexington: Reflections on Propaganda
Create image

“Certainly I do not wish that instead of these masters I had read baby books, written down to children, and with such ignorant dullness that they blunt the sense and corrupt the tastes of the still plastic human being. But I do wish that I had read no books at all till later - that I had lived with toys, and played in the open air. Children should not cull the fruits of reflection and observation early, but expand in the sun, and let thoughts come to them. They should not through books antedate their actual experiences.”

ShouldHumansChildrenStillsBookWishHuman BeingsSunWrittenAirMastersBabyTasteReflectionFruitIgnorantObservationPlasticToysBluntDullness
Author:Margaret Fuller
Create image

“The reflections that the boys of this age are to be the men of the next; that they should be prepared to receive the holy charge which we are cherishing to deliver over to them; that in establishing an institution of wisdom for them, we secure it to all our future generations; that in fulfilling this duty, we bring home to our own bosoms the sweet consolation of seeing our sons rising under a luminous tuition, to destinies of high promise; these are considerations which will occur to all.”

MenShouldHomeAgeNextBoysDestinySeeingGenerationsHe ManSonSweetDutyHolyPromiseReflectionInstitutionsPreparedSecureRisingConsiderationCherishOur FutureFulfillingBe PreparedConsolationFuture GenerationBosomsLuminousTuition
Book:Jefferson: Writings
Create image

“Once we have a sense of how long a decision should take, we generally should delay the moment of decision until the last possible instant. If we have an hour, we should wait 59 minutes before responding. If we have a year, we should wait 364 days. Even if we have just half a second, we should wait as long as we possibly can ... Life might be a race against time but it is enriched when we rise above our instincts and stop the clock to process and understand what we are doing and why. A wise decision requires reflection, and reflection requires a pause.”

IfsShouldYearsLongMomentsMightLastsWaitingProcessHoursDecisionRaceHalfWiseMinutesReflectionInstinctClockInstantPausesDelayRise AboveRespondingWise DecisionRace Against Time
Author:Frank Partnoy
Create image

“We feel the urge to tell the truth as we see it. But we should try to accomplish this without judgemental condemnations that hurt others. Again, when we remember that what we perceive in another is a reflection of ourselves, we become less judgemental. So when we freely express harsh judgement of another, we are in effect talking about those aspects of ourselves that trouble us the most.”

FeelsShouldTryingRememberHurtTalkingTroubleEffectsReflectionAspectAccomplishPerceiveJudgementTelling The TruthUrgesHarshCondemnationJudgemental
Author:Shirley MacLaine
Create image

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antobodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask the hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.”

PeopleIfsShouldYearsBelieveHumansPersonsLongHardBodyAsksDoubtSmartReflectionTragedyBusyCollapseIndifferentHuman BodyToo BusySkepticDiscardedDefenselessProbingHard Questions
Author:Timothy Keller
Create image

“You told me once, long ago, to look into a mirror and see your face. I refused to then. But now Mnimi has forced me to look at my own reflection. I’ve seen it through my eyes and I’ve seen it through yours. I wish to the gods that I could change what happened between us. If I could go back, I would never deny you. But I can’t. We both know that. Now I just want the chance to know you as I should have known you all those centuries ago. (Styxx)”

IfsKnowsWantShouldLooksLongI CanEyeFacesWishChanceMy OwnKnownHappenedCenturyReflectionShould HaveMirrorsDenyIf I CouldYour FaceLong AgoShould Have KnownThrough My Eyes
Author:Sherrilyn Kenyon
Create image

“When I tell you not to marry without love, I do not advise you to marry for love alone: there are many, many other things to be considered. Keep both heart and hand in your own possession, till you see good reason to part with them; and if such an occasion should never present itself, comfort your mind with this reflection, that though in single life your joys may not be very many, your sorrows, at least, will not be more than you can bear. Marriage may change your circumstances for the better, but, in my private opinion, it is far more likely to produce a contrary result.”

IfsShouldMindHeartMayReasonHandsJoyResultsOpinionProduceBearsCircumstancesSorrowComfortReflectionPossessionContraryOccasionsAdviseWithout LoveSingle LifeAlone In LoveHearts And Hands
Book:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Create image

“To recognize our bias toward error should teach us modesty and reflection, and to forgive it should help us avoid the inhumanity of thinking we ourselves are not as fallible as those who, in any instance, seem most at fault. Science can give us knowledge, but it cannot give us wisdom. Nor can religion, until it puts aside nonsense and distraction and becomes itself again.”

ThinkingGivingShouldHelpingSeemsTeachReflectionForgivingErrorsFaultsInstanceNonsenseDistractionModestyBiasInhumanity
Author:Marilynne Robinson
Create image

“I used to listen to it all the time when I was little and thinking about grown-up things. I would go to my bedroom window and stare at my reflection in the glass and the trees behind it and just listen to the song for hours. I decided then that when I met someone I thought was as beautiful as the song, I should give it to that person. And I didn’t mean beautiful on the outside. I meant beautiful in all ways.”

ThinkingWayGivingShouldMeanLittlesPersonsBeautifulUsedSongHoursBehindsTreeMetsReflectionWindowDecidedGlassesStaringBedroomJust Listen
Book:The Perks of Being a Wallflower YA edition
Create image

“The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of Government. But what is Government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?”

MenShouldHumansMayGovernmentPoliticsInterestRightsHuman NatureHe ManReflectionAbuseConnectedDevicesFederalistFederalist PapersConstitutional Rights
Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788
Create image

“The act of taking my own life is not something that I do without a lot of thought. I don't believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time. I do believe strongly, however, that the right to do so is one of the most fundamental rights anyone in a free society should have. For me much of the world makes no sense, but my feelings about what I am doing ring loud and clear to an inner ear and to a place where there is no self, only calm. Love always, Wendy.”

PeopleWorldShouldBelieveSelfFeelingsLife IsMy OwnClearRightsPeriodsReflectionShould HaveEarsFundamentalsDon't BelieveCalmRingsLoudThoughtfulSuicidalMy Own LifeFree SocietyLove AlwaysWendyFundamental Rights
Author:Wendy O. Williams
Create image

“This revelation of the secrets of nature, long mercifully withheld from man, should arouse the most solemn reflections in the mind and conscience of every human being capable of comprehension. We must indeed pray that these awful agencies will be made to conduce to peace among the nations, and that instead of wreaking measureless havoc upon the entire globe, may become a perennial fountain of world prosperity.”

MenWorldShouldMindHumansMayLongMadeScienceNationsNatureHuman BeingsSecretPrayingCapableReflectionConscienceProsperityAwfulAgencyRevelationsGlobesFountainSolemnComprehensionHavoc
Book:War Speeches: From September 11, 1943 to August 16, 1945
Create image

“I realized that my circumstances, while causing me despair and heartbreak, also held great possibility, if only I could see it. I knew that I was learning one of the most important lessons of my life: that instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, I should work toward a realization that every opportunity is perfect. Each moment is perfect and heaven-sent, in that each moment holds the seeds for growth. Difficulty creates the opportunity for self-reflection and compassion.”

IfsShouldImportantSelfMomentsOpportunityHeavenWaitingGrowthPerfectCompassionPossibilityCircumstancesLessonsDespairReflectionDifficultyLuckSeedsI RealizedRealizationSelf ReflectionImportant LessonsHeaven Sent
Author:Suzan-Lori Parks
Create image

“The real wonder is that so many difficulties should have been surmounted [in the federal convention], and surmounted with a unanimity almost as unprecedented as it must have been unexpected. It is impossible for any man of candor to reflect on this circumstance without partaking of the astonishment. It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”

MenShouldHas BeensRealHandsWonderImpossibleStageHe ManRevolutionCircumstancesReflectionShould HaveDifficultyFingersCriticalPerceiveReliefUnexpectedConventionsAlmightyShould Have BeenUnprecedentedPiousAstonishmentCandorUnanimity
Book:The Federalist: With Letters of Brutus
Create image

“No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life." Yes, we should engage in ruthless self-reflection and harsh scrutiny, but we should simultaneously acknowledge that such introspection will, at best, only result in a partial view of our minds at work. Complete objectivity is not an option.”

ShouldMindSelfResultsViewsDoubtHumilityEssentialsSelf ImprovementReflectionAspectImprovementAcknowledgeGood LifeHarshIntrospectionMaximsRuthlessSelf ReflectionWorth LivingObjectivityAssessmentScrutinySelf AssessmentUnexamined Life
Book:On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not
Create image

“If anyone should want to know my name, I am called Leah. And I spend all my time weaving garlands of flowers with my fair hands, t o please me when I stand before the mirror; my sister Rachel sits all the day long before her own, and never moves away. She loves to contemplate her lovely eyes; I love to use my hands to adorn myself: her joy is in reflection, mine in act.”

IfsKnowsWantShouldLongUseHandsEyeMovingJoyNamesMinesFlowerPleaseReflectionFairsMirrorsLovelyContemplationMy TimeMy SisterContemplatingWeavingGarlandsPlease MeLovely Eyes
Book:The Portable Dante
Create image

“Based on my time living with rats and mice in Washington, D.C., I have always assumed that animals will escape such fires, since their senses of smell, wariness of such dangers, and ability to move through almost invisible holes is so impressive, but I think that we should not dismiss the possibility that they, also, will be harmed. These reflections do not, of course, rule out burning meat trucks. And they don't mean that when the next slaughterhouse or vivisection lab burns down, I will denounce those who carried out the burning, or that I will feel anything other than joy in my heart.”

ThinkingFeelsShouldHeartMeanMovingJoyCoursesNextAbilityAnimalFireDangerPossibilityMy HeartReflectionSmellSensesInvisibleHolesBurningMeatMy TimeAnimal RightsMiceRatsTruckImpressiveLabsSlaughterhousesVivisection
Author:Bruce Friedrich
Create image

“The anniversary of Hiroshima, should be a day of somber reflection, not only on the terrible events of that day in 1945, but also on what they revealed: that humans, in their dedicated quest to extend their capacities for destruction, had finally found a way to approach the ultimate limit.”

WayShouldHumansFoundEventsTerribleLimitsApproachReflectionCapacityDestructionUltimateDedicatedQuestsHiroshimaSomberTerrible Events
Book:Because We Say So
Create image