Can somebody please explain me this quote?

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Joined: 10 Jul 2006
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03 Jun 2007, 1:35 pm

english is not my native tongue, and I have very good level, but have trouble
understanding this next quote:

Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising.
- Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise

thanks

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SolaCatella
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03 Jun 2007, 1:43 pm

It means that the gods called the people they wish to destroy promising before they destroy them.

As an aside, "I have very good level" should probably write more along the lines of "I have a very good level of understanding." As it is, it's rather stilted.

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gwenevyn
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03 Jun 2007, 1:49 pm

Metaphorically, what I believe this quote communicates is the idea that a person is unlikely to find himself "all of a sudden" in a great deal of trouble. When people get in big trouble, it's usually because they ignored warning signs or because they were never instructed on how to recognize those signs.

How timely.

sinsboldly
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03 Jun 2007, 1:52 pm

In my opinion the phrase is about the curse of talent. If you have a talent, you have potental (promise) and if you do not live up to that potential (promise) then you can be quite dissappointed - even to the point of being distroyed.

Merle

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03 Jun 2007, 1:54 pm

computerlove wrote:

It refers to people not living up to potential/expectations of others.

PS
D'oh!! ! What sinsboldly said much better!

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Last edited by GoonSquad on 03 Jun 2007, 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gwenevyn
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03 Jun 2007, 1:55 pm

Merle and Goon, can you two explain to me how you get that idea out of the quote? I'm not seeing it at all.

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03 Jun 2007, 2:02 pm

gwenevyn wrote:

Merle and Goon, can you two explain to me how you get that idea out of the quote? I'm not seeing it at all.

Part of it comes from knowing who Cyril Connolly is.

I think Gods in this case refers to the experts/critics of a particular field heralding a newcomer and then turning upon him when he doesn’t live up to their expectations (or his own)...

Happens in sports all the time. :wink:

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Last edited by GoonSquad on 03 Jun 2007, 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gwenevyn
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03 Jun 2007, 2:04 pm

Ohhhh...

Context is everything.

GoonSquad
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03 Jun 2007, 2:05 pm

Yep!

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03 Jun 2007, 2:06 pm

sinsboldly wrote:

Sounds correct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemies_of_Promise

Quote:

The overarching theme of the book is the search for an explanation of why Connolly, though widely recognized as a leading man of letters and a highly distinguished critic, failed to produce a major work of literature.

sinsboldly
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03 Jun 2007, 2:24 pm

gwenevyn wrote:

Ohhhh...

Context is everything.

hum.. I just related to it, is all, I don't know who that Connolly guy is, though.

Merle

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03 Jun 2007, 2:29 pm

wow, thanks! What a fast response *dancing*

how hard must it have been for Connolly...

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paolo
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03 Jun 2007, 2:40 pm

As I understand it, people tend to be destroyed by success (God's blessing): Francis S. Fitzgerlad, Malcolm Lowry and others.

gwenevyn
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03 Jun 2007, 2:46 pm

paolo wrote:

As I understand it, people tend to be destroyed by success (God's blessing): Francis S. Fitzgerlad, Malcolm Lowry and others.

This is off topic, but sometimes I think it's the other way around: people who destroy themselves can achieve success by continuing doing so (for money) in the public eye.

giaam
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03 Jun 2007, 3:53 pm

computerlove wrote:

Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising.
- Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise
thanks

To me the text inicates that the individual with 'promise' is a threat because of their ability, and therefore the threat has to be removed :twisted:

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03 Jun 2007, 6:36 pm

The automatic translation of the automatic translation proposes:

who god desires to destroy first flame promising

Well, I think automatic translation understood it even worst than me!

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