Heaven-gates are not so highly arched
As princes' palaces; they that enter there
Must go upon their knees.
--
Act IV, scene ii.John Webster
Of course if we make good things, it is not only to the credit of science; it is also to the credit of the moral choice which led us to the good work. Scientific knowledge is an enabling power to do either good or bad — but it does not carry instructions on how to use it. Such power has evident value — even though the power may be negated by what one does.
I learned a way of expressing this common human problem on a trip to Honolulu. In a Buddhist temple there, the man in charge explained a little about the Buddhist religion for the tourists, and then ended his talk by telling them he had something to say to them that they would never forget — and I have never forgotten it. It was a proverb of the Buddhist religion:
"To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell."
What, then, is the value of the key to heaven? It is true that if we lack clear instructions to determine which is the gate to heaven and which the gate to hell, the key may be a dangerous object to use, but it obviously has value. How can we enter heaven without it?Richard Feynman
"Im hard, Jehovah said I'm barred from the pearly gates f**k em, I didn't want to go to heaven anyway.But my mama got me on my knees with my hands gripped talkin bout some praise the Lord shit."
The Notorious B.I.G.
Can princes born in palaces be sensible of the misery of those who dwell in cottages?
Stanislaw Leszczynski
Having concluded these introductory remarks I proceed to examine those expressions, to the true meaning of which, as apparent from the context, it is necessary to direct your attention. This book will then be a key admitting to places the gates of which would otherwise be closed. When the gates are opened and men enter, their souls will enjoy repose, their eyes will be gratified, and even their bodies, after all toil and labour, will be refreshed.
Maimonides
The pessimist writes over the gates of life what the poet has inscribed on the portals of hell—”Abandon hope, ye who enter here.”
John Lancaster Spalding
Webster, John
Webster, Noah
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