A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

The good and straightforward person should resemble one who stinks of goat, in the sense that whoever comes close will immediately sense him, whether they want to or not.
 
[τοιοῦτον ὅλως δεῖ τὸν ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, οἶον γράσωνα, ἵνα ὁ παραστὰς ἅμα τῷ προσελθεῖν, θέλει οὐ θέλει, αἴσθηται.]

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 11, ch. 15 (11.15) [tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008)

Sourcing, notes, alternate translations: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/7521…

#quote #quotes #quotation #goat #goodness #goodperson #honesty #obvious #simplicity #smell #stink #straightforwardness

A quotation from Whitman

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet
Poem (1855), “Song of Myself,” sec. 32, l. 684ff, Leaves of Grass

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/whitman-walt/74677/

#quote #quotes #quotation #animals #humancondition #humanity #simplicity #straightforwardness

A quotation from Emerson, Ralph Waldo:

«
Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.
»

Full quote, sourcing, notes:
https://wist.info/emerson-ralph-waldo/122/

#quote #quotes #quotation #commonsense #fairness #honesty #humannature #straightforwardness #surprise #expectations

This post examines a cluster of #virtues that includes #straightforwardness, #frankness, #sincerity, #earnestness, #candor, and #parrhêsia.

These virtues have to do with communicating in a way that is clear, precise, efficient, and useful. They show respect for those you are communicating with by “giving it to them straight” and not forcing a lot of second-guessing and interpretation.

https://www.lesswrong.com/s/xqgwpmwDYsn8osoje/p/haikNyAWze9SdBpb6