Benjamin Jowett is a British classical scholar who is considered to be one of the greatest teachers of the 19th century. He was distinguished for his translations of Plato and is an excellent tutor who later became a master of Balliol College, Oxford.
He was born on April 15, 1817, in London, England. He studied at St. Paul's School, London and Balliol. He was made as a fellow at Balliol and appointed as a college tutor in 1842. He was appointed as a priest three years later.
Around 1846, Benjamin joined the Archibald Campbell Tait movement, and later in 1848, he became a general amongst the younger fellows. Later on, he concentrated on theology. He spent his summers of 1845 and 1846 in Germany with Stanley- who had influenced him in the early years.
He was appointed as the Regius Professorship of Greek in autumn 1855. He devoted all his time to the work of tuition. He was greatly criticized for his book The Epistles of St Paul. Its publication made a storm from the Orthodox Evangelicals.
From 1866, his authority in Balliol had been major, and all the manor reforms that took place in the college were mainly due to his initiative. The plan that received a huge round of applause was the cooperation with Florence Nightingale. This enabled a lecture tour to Oxford for the undergraduates training in agricultural sciences for the Indian Civil Service. And because of this initiative, Indians have started to receive proper education in technical aspects of forestry and farming.
After quite some time in 1887, he started to have an illness that seriously affected his health. The essays which should have to go along with the translation of Thucydides were never written. Benjamin took his last breath on October 1 at Oxford. His funeral was one of the impressive ones ever seen in the city.
All his friends, colleagues, and even his pupils loved him and always remembered him for the person he was.
Following are some of the top Benjamin Jowett Quotes that will be a life-changer for you.
Learn just enough of the subject to enable your mind to get rid of it.
To learn something means to gain enough knowledge or understanding of a particular skill. It means to train yourself to comprehend to learn new things.
Benjamin says that learn something enough so that you can eliminate it from your mind. If you know only half of something, your curiosity will not allow you to relax. You would want to know what happens next.
So, it is better to know sufficient about the topic then it will be easier to forget about it. As once you know the adequate meaning of something, you can easily relieve those from your mind.
So, always keep learning new things in your life.
Precautions are always to be blamed. When successful they are said to be unnecessary.
Precaution is a measure that is taken in advance to prevent something in jeopardy, unpleasant and inconvenient from happening. It is to safeguard yourself from all the damage.
Precautions are always to be criticized in any situation. If the precautions that we take are successful, then they are said to be irrelevant. If they become useful to us, they are termed as something that is not essential.
If the precautions were unsuccessful, then also it will be called unnecessary. So no matter what precautions do, they will be often termed as useless.
There is a great deal of hard in this world; especially among people whose characters are above suspicion.
Character is generally the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It is something that many people share in a group. It is a quality that makes a person different from another one.
I'm this whole world, there is a lot of tough things that take place. And for all those things, you need to be ready. There are times when everything seems to be hard in this world.
During those hard times, there are people whose character change. It causes a feeling or thought that something is likely to be true. The character of a person gradually changes. And that change truly feels like intuition.
One man is as good as another until he has written a book.
When a person writes a book, he starts to feel like someone more interested in being rich with his own words. He starts to feel like he owns the world.
Benjamin says that a man is only admirable until he has written a book. It simply means that a person finishes writing a book, he feels like he is an intelligent person. And if that becomes successful when it is published, then he is on the top of the world.
He starts to change as a person. A sense of competition starts to develop in his mind. And that spirit changes the entire attitude of a person. Anger, jealousy and sadness start to enter his mind, eliminating the good from his life.
It is most important in this world to be pushing, but it is fatal to seem so.
To push someone to do something means encouraging them to do things or force them to do a thing. Sometimes you need a push to take that first step.
Benjamin says that in this world, you need to take that one step. To push someone to do is to pursue the person. When you push someone for something, you try hard to achieve it.
But sometimes pushing someone to a certain extent then becomes lethal. And then it is dangerous to keep on doing. So, when you start pushing others, do it in a way that may not hurt them.
Continue reading some of the best Benjamin Jowett Quotes....
Never retreat. Never explain. Get it done and let them howl.
To retreat means the act of moving back or withdrawing. It simply means to back out of something. It is like a designed meeting so that one party must step down to resolve the matter when a fight occurs.
Benjamin says that one must never pull out in a situation. And when you are asked questions, there is no need to explain. You do not need to withdraw nor give any clarification regarding it.
You just have to get the work done and let others bark. All you need to do is keep on working and never justify why you did it in a particular way. Just do what you have to and let others yelp.
All translation is a compromise - the effort to be idiomatic.
Translation means to reword a thing into a language you can understand. It can be considered as a change to a different substance, form, or appearance.
Benjamin says that every translation is an agreement. It means that when you translate something, you work it according to other's convenience. And only then do they understand what you mean. So it is an understanding where you say something in a language that helps them to understand in a better way.
The translation is an attempt to be natural. It means that it is quite natural to talk to a person in a way which he understands. This sort of works like an agreement, and the conditions are only to talk in a way they understand.
Logic is neither a science nor an art but a dodge.
Logic is a proper or reasonable way of thinking about something. It can be said as something that deals with the rules that are used during reasoning.
The quote means that reasoning is not a science, not any type of art. It is like a dodge where you quickly move to another side to avoid the illogical way of thinking. It simply means that logic is like a dart that avoids all the useless things.
It is like logic dives towards only logical things. It is not a science where you have certain methods and formulas or art where you need the patience to create something beautiful. It is a leap towards reasoning where there is a reason behind the things you do.
We have sought truth, and sometimes perhaps found it. But have we had any fun?
Seek is the attempt to find something. And when you do that, it means that you have already done looking. In this quote, it is used as "sought", which means it has already been looked for.
Benjamin says that all of us always seek truth in whatever we do. We always search for truth in our worst moments as it helps us to overcome the situation calmly.
We humans always search for truth, and while searching, we may have even found the truth. But have you ever really enjoyed the truth? As truth is something that is a fact or a reality.
And reality is something which you should enjoy. So enjoy the present and live your life.
Some more Benjamin Jowett Quotes....
Doubt comes in at the window when inquiry is denied at the door.
Doubt is to be uncertain about something. It is to believe that is unlikely or maybe not true. It is something that has a lack of belief.
We humans generally have the habit of being doubtful. Doubt comes when we forget to ask. Whenever you do not know, you should ask. This will ensure that doubt doesn't enter the window.
Uncertainty only comes at the window when you refuse a query at the door. You are hesitant to ask things, and that is only how doubt comes into the picture. Therefore, whenever you have any queries start clearing them.
You've got to be success minded. You've got to feel that things are coming your way when you're out selling; otherwise, you won't be able to sell anything.
Success is something that will come to those who want to succeed in their life. It is an accomplishment of an aim or a purpose.
To be success minded means to have a mentality of achieving success. It is like having a mindset of always be successful in whatever you do. Benjamin says that people need to have a successful mindset as it is what you need to have first to achieve your goals.
You need to feel that things are going according to your plans. And when you start selling a thought or a commodity, you need to feel that you can do it. You need to believe that things are coming to your place or else you cannot sell anything. So, start having a nicer mentality.
There is a serious defect in the thinking of someone who wants more than anything else to become rich. As long as they don't have the money, it'll seem like a worthwhile goal. Once they do, they'll understand how important other things are and have always been.
Everyone in this world lives to survive. And to survive, the thing which they need the most is money as money can provide you with all the necessities a man needs.
Benjamin says that there is a flaw in the thinking of someone who wants to be rich more than anything else. He says there is a big flaw in their thought process. When you do not have money, it will feel like a goal worth achieving.
Once you achieve the goal, you will know that other things in life are vital. You will understand that you have missed out on all these things that already existed this long, and you never knew it in the way of achieving this goal.
Research! A mere excuse for idleness; it has never achieved, and will never achieve any results of the slightest value.
Research is the structured investigation and the study of several materials and sources to initiate facts and to reach new closure to your findings.
Benjamin says that experimentation is nothing but an excuse for laziness. Research is simply a reason for a person to be idle. When you do not want to do anything and relax, research is used as an excuse.
He says that research has never attained anything great or will ever achieve any results. It has never been able to establish any facts not will establish anything moderately. Therefore, rather than conducting any research, make use of your time doing something that has value.
My dear child, you must believe in God despite what the clergy tells you.
The clergy is normally a former leader within various religions. Their roles and task differ according to the various religious traditions. It is someone who usually guides the rituals to be conducted.
Benjamin says that we must believe in what the clergy does and says. We must follow the rituals and all the traditions. All the religious practices can be followed and be done if we believe in them.
He requests to all the people that you can believe the clergy until he says to not believe in God. Even though we cannot see God but we can certainly feel the presence of the divine power. Although he is not seen; but someone who is omnipresent.
Therefore, no matter what happens in your life, know that God will surely make everything right.
The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them.
This quote is quite a simple one to understand. And it is something which we all know but never accept. It is a thought which needs to be understood and followed in these times.
When you want to get things done by others, learn to be calm and patient. As if you start to panic, people who are helping you will also start to get nervous even before trying. With one look on our faces, all their confidence will be gone.
Getting things done by others is an art where you need to manage everything and put it together. When people do things for you let them take the praise. Let them take the credit as they have truly worked on it.
Therefore, it's okay to allow people to take credit for what they do.
Few more Benjamin Jowett Quotes...
Young men make great mistakes in life; for one thing, they idealize love too much.
Young people generally are those who are curious about almost every new thing. They want to know about everything at first, and then later on, when they understand things, they lose interest.
Benjamin says that young men make too many mistakes in their life. Even when though they know it is wrong, they still listen to their own heart. It is not a bad thing to make mistakes. But not realizing them is undoubtedly a bad quality that should be rectified.
The major mistake they make is that they romanticize too much about love. Love is quite a natural thing, but instead of focusing on themselves and their career, they give all their attention towards life. And this what is the biggest of all mistakes.
Give the clergy your sympathy; don't give them anything else.
Sympathy is a feeling of pity or a sense of empathy. It is felt when you feel bad for someone else who is going through a bad time. It is to feel sorry for the person even if you are not the reason for the person is going through.
The clergy is generally the head of people within various religions. They are the people who have different roles according to the religion and teach about religious practices.
Benjamin says that clergy is surely the one to be valued and respected. Follow all the practices and traditions only if you believe in them. But if the clergy asks you to do something against your beliefs, then stop doing it. Just give them your condolence and leave them to themselves.
So, do what you feel is right.
To teach a man how he may learn to grow independently, and for himself, is perhaps the greatest service that one man can do another.
To live independently means the ability to verify all the alternatives and make well-informed decisions and lead their life on their own. It is to start living your own life on your terms.
Benjamin says that instructing how a person how to live and grow independently is one of the greatest favor you do to a person. It is one of the significant services you do to a person.
To make them understand that by living independently, you become matured and responsible. You start to value time and understand the efforts you need to put into earning money. In general, you understand what goes behind making everyone happy.
The real measure of our wealth is how much we'd be worth if we lost all our money.
Money is something that can give happiness to a man in today's time. It is like a basic necessity without which you can take even a step forward in your life.
Benjamin says that the real worth of our money is not how much we have at present. Instead, its value is known when you lose all your money at once. And when you understand the worth, it may be too late.
Only when you lose something will you truly understand the worth of something. So, better be not late and start valuing money when you have it.
Plato's dialogues bear at least some similarities to the classical plays.
Plato was an Athenian philosopher during the classical period in Ancient Greece. He is the founder of the Platonist school of thought and Academy, which was the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.
Benjamin says that Plato's dialogues hold certain similarities to the classical plays. Plato has written about 30 dialogues in most of which Socrates is the main character. And in his dialogues, Socrates represents himself as a simple man that has little knowledge.
The same is the case with all the classical plays. It also consists of various characters and that too alive on stage. Plays also have characters who represent themselves. So, all of Plato's dialogue seems like classical plays.
Life is something that is quite a puzzle in which you have to fit your pieces to own them. Make it something which will be an inspiration and will be known forever. Inspire others and be inspired. And yes, keep smiling as you do not know when your picture is being clicked.
