"Do your duty, and leave the rest to heaven."
by:
Pierre Corneille
(1606-1684) French playwright, known as the "founder of French tragedy”
Source:
Horace (1639), Act II, sc. viii
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mmmm, duno?
 -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    I might say pray to heaven first, then follow the spirit to the best of your ability. If you have no sensorial perception, or otherwise working knowledge of the spirit, then the quote and sentiment are irrelevant, nonsensical, and a non issue.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    That certainly gets people off the hook.
     -- EGL, LA     
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    Very zen... do what you can, and let go of that which you can not affect...
     -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US     
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    Anonymous from Reston, well said, an excellent atheistic interpretation for people of all faiths.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Do your duty but never waste faith in ghosts.
     -- Dick, Fort Worth     
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    Heaven is what your Duty makes it.
     -- Robert, Sarasota     
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    Would you all feel better if he had said "the stars" instead of "heaven"? It seems that the passions of atheists are terribly stirred whenever a mention of God or heaven is made. I thought they were just silly superstitions. Maybe they mean something to you afterall.
     -- Ken, Allyn, WA     
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    Perhaps conscience comes into play at some point. Of course, if you have no conscience, then that would certainly make it hard to follow it.
     -- David L. Rosenthal     
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    The gods have their work, the people have theirs. Do your duty and trust in the process of life. Honor is something no one can take away from another.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    I live my "duty" by this quote.
     -- Me Again     
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    How does heaven go about doing anything? It would make as much (or more) sense to say, Do your duty, and to hell with the rest At least everyone would know what it meant
     -- Jack, Green, OH     
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    My only duties are to myself and to the betterment of the world.
     -- Anonymous     
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    I suspect it means do your duty and let the chips fall...
     -- jim k, Austin     
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    Could it mean, Trusting God and luck?
     -- cal, Lewisville, Tx     
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    EGL, your sentiment is far more accurate than not — way more times than not. Several issues here. One issue is "the laws of nature and of nature's God" as a whole in conjunction with nature's justice (gravity, physics, life, liberty, property, restoration, etc.) Man can not licitly create law, only create an "order" by application of descriptive tools such as codes, ordinances, regulations, rules, statutes, etc. administering the law that already exists. Beyond that, nature will take its course (where, nobody gets off the hook).

    Another issue is man confuses sensorial perception / a palpable working knowledge of the spirit with emotion, carnal desires, cravings of power, ignorance's array of incomplete knowledge (differing from any body of collected and interpreted data or a never ending epistemology), etc. (see my previous statement)
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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