"It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean."

Nature

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Nature as articulated by John Locke. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Nature provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism". His important works include A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), Two Treatises of Government (1689/90), both published anonymously, and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689/90). His writing on toleration contends that religion is a matter for the individual and that the churches are voluntary associations, ruling out religious coercion and uniformity. The ideas on the separation of church and state originated with Sir Harry Vane in Vane’s two pamphlets “Zeal Examined” in 1651 and “A Healing Question” published in 1656. His Two Treatises on Government argues for government based on the consent of the governed and the right to revolt against tyrannous government which has lost consent. The Two Treatises are believed to have influenced the language that Thomas Jefferson chose in his drafting the July 1776 Declaration of Independence during the War of American Independence.

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More by John Locke

"Wisdom principle 63 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 63."

— John Locke
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"Wisdom principle 93 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 81."

— John Locke
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"The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom."

— John Locke
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"We should have a great fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves."

— John Locke
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More about Nature

"There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and the revelations of great art are equally difficult to define we can grasp them only in the depths of our perceptive spirit."

— Ansel Adams
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"My mother brought me numerous times to visit Orton as a child, and I have visited the gardens with my children many times. Orton is a gem on the Cape Fear River and I am excited about our restoration efforts to bring it back to its original landscape."

— Louis Bacon
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"In Amsterdam, the river and canals have been central to city life for the last four centuries."

— Janet Echelman
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"I said to the almond tree, 'Friend, speak to me of God,' and the almond tree blossomed."

— Nikos Kazantzakis
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