Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Worth While.
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It is easy enough to be prudent, When nothing tempts you to stray; When without or within no voice of sin Is luring your soul away; But it's only a negative virtue Until it is tried by fire, And the life that is worth the honor of earth, Is the one that resists desire.
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox on Worth
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It is easy enough to be prudent, When nothing tempts you to stray; When without or within no voice of sin Is luring your soul away; But it's only a negative virtue Until it is tried by fire, And the life that is worth the honor of earth, Is the one that resists desire." in the context of "Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Worth While." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Worth" (Quotes, Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 919-20.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (5 November 1850 – 30 October 1919) was an American poet.
About Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (5 November 1850 – 30 October 1919) was an American poet.
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