The copy of The Crown Of Individuality I read is from 1909— 116 years old! I think it’s kind of interesting to consider how old this book is— I mean, it’s not that old in the grand scheme of things, but the world William George Jordan lived in was quite different than the one I live in now— and yet, the human experience is practically identical. Yes, our society and culture and technology have made revolutions and practical advancements, but this book could have been written today and maintain almost all truthfulness.
The human experience doesn’t really change. My favorite quote from this book is short and simple, and I think it reflects this reality: “Life is simply time given to a man to learn how to live.” As much as we do build on the successes of our ancestors, in many ways, we don’t at all. Learning how to “be a good person”, or “do the right thing”, or “forgive and forget”, or “don’t judge others”, are things each person much learn in their own life. These proverbs and life lessons aren’t genetics that can be passed down automatically; the quest of learning these things is common to every person.
These things were interesting to ponder, but as far as the book itself— well, it was okay. It’s essentially a collection of wisdoms, philosophies, and self-help mantras, written in early-1900s-style English (which makes it highly “quotable”). Each chapter is a self-contained theme, like forgiveness, optimism, judgement, purpose, etc. and repeats only a handful of ideas over many different sentences and analogies.
I’m not big on the self-help genre, and this book was no exception. I wouldn’t call it particularly practical, either. The wisdom inside has value and truth to it, but nothing earth-shattering (for me, at least).
My Favorite Quotes
The only reason for being right, doing right, and living right is— because it is right.
The greatest gift the individual can give the world is— personal service.
Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom, the assessments we pay on our stock of experience, the raw material of error to be transformed into higher living. Without them there would be no individual growth, no progress, no conquest.
Life is simply time given to man to learn how to live. Mistakes are always part of learning… Let us thank God when a mistake shows us the weak link in the chain of our living. It is a new revelation of how to live… We cannot relive our old mistakes, but we can make them the means of future immunity from the folly that caused them.
Friends, real friends, are rare in the individual life. We cannot have many of them. They do not come in bunches like bananas. They are never found ready-made at all. They are formed by weathering the same gales of fate together, by standing the heat of conflict together, by kinship of mind and heart, by common interest in a common ideal, by basic understanding, mutual dependence, thorough respect and loyalty that grows stronger as need grows greater.
Perhaps ninety per cent. of the adverse criticism, comment, and judging of humanity is unnecessary and serves no useful purpose.
It is only what a man makes of himself that really counts… Man should feel this sense of the limitless— physically, mentally, morally, spiritually.
The man who talks airily of the things he would do if only he had time, unconscious of the golden hours of wasted opportunity frittering idly through his fingers, had better wake up.
The Infinite gives to no man happiness; but only the raw material from which it can be made.
Mere attainment of wealth, fame, success, position, power, or possession does not necessarily bring— happiness. The history of the ages proves this. Happiness comes ever from within.
There is satanic ingenuity in quoting part of a sentence and without telling why or how it was spoken.
One great reason for much of our manufactured sorrow and misery is that we measure our lives by what we judge of others, not by true estimate of our own.
For years some man in public life may have struggled by consecration to purpose, by loyalty to principle, by faithful adherence to duty, and at least— reached a pinnacle of fame. The world honours him; his life is held up as a model, an inspiration to the young, a source of pride to all. But that man may do a wicked thing, and the world is startled by the discovery. Society says “Now he is unmasked; now we know his real character!” One evil act becomes typical of a whole life. One evil act submerges all the good of years of faithful service.