The retaining hand of tolerance is laid upon the inquisitor and the humanist utters a message of peace to the persecuted. Instead of the cry “Burn the heretic!” men study the human soul with sympathy, and there enters into their hearts a new reverence for that which is unseen.

— Helen Keller on Reverence

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The retaining hand of tolerance is laid upon the inquisitor and the humanist utters a message of peace to the persecuted. Instead of the cry “Burn the heretic!” men study the human soul with sympathy, and there enters into their hearts a new reverence for that which is unseen." in the context of "Helen Keller, in Optimism - An Essay by Helen Keller - Special Edition, p. 13" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Reverence" (K) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 01, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Helen Keller

About Helen Keller

Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American writer and social activist; an illness (possibly scarlet fever or meningitis) at the age of 19 months left her deaf and blind.