The Five Best Quotes From John Locke
Many quotes from John Locke invite us to reflect and discover great lessons that can be applied in our daily lives. Many of them are part of his work and will affect us very much.
John Locke was an important British thinker, born in 1632 and died in 1704. Although he specialized in medicine, he is known for his writing and research in political philosophy.
He was a man with a multidisciplinary vision. Although he is known for his superiors, it is also worth mentioning that he was a professor, economist, theologian, diplomat and author. But, that’s not all. Locke was one of the main representatives of British empiricism.
In this article, we will focus on some of the best of Locke’s quotes. They are statements full of wisdom that are worth remembering.
Concern as a control mechanism
” What worries you controls you.”
These are John Locke’s first statements if we consider them important. Not just because of the meaning, but because this lesson is relevant today. What we did not know before is that someone tried to transfer this idea several years earlier.
The reason why everything that worries us controls us is that worry turns into a series of thoughts that create a maze with no way out. Beliefs that we feed with fear, doubt and expectations that, if we do not stop, will get bigger and bigger.
When we do not let go of what worries us, anxiety increases. But there is a Chinese fable that gives us the solution to prevent worries from controlling us:
The importance behind the work of parents
The second John Locke quote is aimed at parents, who have an important job to do. However, this quote is a critique of something that happens almost every single day. Parents who complain because their children are rebellious, because they have “lost the way”, because they have not adopted the values that the parents believe are correct…
Today, many parents complain about their children’s dependence on the telephone or computer. However, these complaints show a lack of responsibility on the part of parents who use video games, tablets and other types of technology to keep the little ones calm.
It is true that time passes very quickly, but you need to know how to prioritize what is important. Sometimes, our responsibilities as parents can overwhelm us. But we can not forget that children will grow and interact with others. They want to build relationships, and it is the parents’ responsibility to teach them how to do it.
If you teach them to “take this, play and be quiet” or “I do not have time for that right now”, children will easily become addicted to the screen. Where is the quality time that means everything? How can parents be an example to their children if they become addicted to their phones tomorrow? Parents lead this process. Parents can poison the source.
Happiness and the mind
The third of John Locke’s quotes tells us that happiness is everything every human being desires, but most people search in the least likely places. Perhaps, he continues, we believe that happiness depends on circumstances.
If we get fired from our job, we can not be happy; When we can not find a romantic partner, we can not be happy. If we do not have children, we can not be happy; if we do not have enough money, we can not be happy… The big question is – who told us that this is true?
At what point have we forgotten that making a mistake is a possibility? Not having a job can be a chance to start over. Happiness awaits us around every corner. It is our decision whether we will go against it or not.
The faith we have in our brains has such an effect on the importance of everything around us that we do not prioritize the interior. With new perspectives, with a different way of looking at things, one can discover that in reality there is no reason to be unhappy.
The desire to be like others
Undoubtedly, the fourth quote from John Locke contains great criticism of what was said in the past but which is still very relevant today. All people are different. But one tends to want to be like others, to lose authenticity, and therefore be approved by others.
The desire for approval, to belong to a group, causes us to lose our own identity. Everything that makes us different shames us, because we consider the judgment of others and criticism to be true.
Instead of being proud when someone points out our thoughts or our way of looking at things differently, when they judge our actions, we become ashamed. As the previous quote said, we believe that happiness depends on circumstances. That it comes from the outside. Therefore, we transform ourselves into chameleons and sacrifice our own essence.
The value of effort
Who wants to get rich? If we asked this question in a room full of people, many hands would probably go up. However, wealth can have many different sources. This latest quote shows that, above all, wealth is the product of hard work, effort, and perseverance.
If we do not continue, we will be despaired at the first mistake that appears and we will stop. We will lose everything we have achieved so far. If we do not make an effort, what we do will not be fruitful. It is necessary to work to get what we want. Doing so will make us rich.
We can get rich when it comes to money, health, knowledge… Rich because we do what we like, because our lives are to spend wealth… Rich because we have friends or a healthy family. We can be rich in many ways, but in each of them there is an effort and a job, perseverance and a certain attitude.
These five quotes from John Locke allow us to discover that, even many years ago, great thinkers tried to open our eyes to the same topics we are struggling with today. Is not it time to take another step? At what point will these quotes cease to be advice and become a way of life?
