Thursday, July 19, 2012

A Thought for Thursday

A harsh, but probably accurate, observation from one of the great figures of the Italian Renaissance, Petrach (Francesco Petrarca 1304-1374):

"Believe me, many things are attributed to gravity and wisdom which are really due to incapacity and sloth. Men often despise what they despair of obtaining. It is in the very nature of ignorance to scorn what it cannot understand, and to desire to keep others from attaining what it cannot reach. Hence the false judgments upon matters of which we know nothing, by which we evince our envy quite as clearly as our stupidity."

No comments: