Named source · 1690

A Letter to a Friend Quotes by Thomas Browne: Context & Meanings

1 quotation linked to A Letter to a Friend by or associated with Thomas Browne, with source notes, explanations and related topics.

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Thomas Browne’s posthumously published consolatory letter on the illness, character and death of a friend

Topics and ideas

Mortality, friendship, charity, legacy, medicine, spiritual consolation and Christian reflection on death.

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They build not castles in the air who would build churches on earth; and though they leave no such structures here, may lay good foundations in heaven.

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“They build not castles in the air who would build churches on earth; and though they leave no such structures here, may lay good foundations in heaven.”

Thomas Browne

Meaning & context

Browne praises charitable intention by arguing that even unrealized plans for public good can carry moral significance within his Christian framework.

Source details

A Letter to a Friend, represented by Project Gutenberg #586. The sentence follows Browne’s description of his deceased friend’s desire for public and lasting charities. Its image of foundations in heaven is explicitly Christian consolation and should not be detached into a secular factual promise about charitable intentions.

Thomas Browne’s posthumously published consolatory letter on the illness, character and death of a friend

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