Literary notes about maintain (AI summary)
In literature, the word "maintain" serves a dual purpose. At times it connotes a physical or practical support—as when a character steadies himself to keep his balance ([1]) or when communities preserve their order and structure ([2], [3], [4], [5]). In other instances, it expresses steadfast belief or a firm assertion, reflecting the speaker’s or narrator’s unwavering stance, as seen in phrases like "I would maintain" or "I maintain that" ([6], [7], [8], [9]). This layered usage, extending from sustaining relationships and reputations ([10], [11]) to upholding ideas about truth and order ([12], [13]), shows how the term enriches both literal and metaphorical narratives by emphasizing persistence and continuity throughout various contexts.
- He was standing with his legs apart as if to maintain his balance, with his hands thrust into the pockets of his coat.
— from The Reign of Greed by José Rizal - Their purpose is to outline the general features of education as the process by which social groups maintain their continuous existence.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey - Lee's army had to be strengthened to enable it to maintain its position, no matter what territory was wrested from the South in another quarter.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - By manipulating some shade of expression he can maintain a balance of tone between divided and undivided voices.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - They must do their utmost to maintain them intact.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
— from A Short History of England by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton - In this respect I maintain an attitude of reverent doubt.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - I can only maintain, that is, affirm as necessarily valid for every one, that which produces conviction.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - That is my opinion, and I am ready to maintain it against any one who contradicts me."
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - I was shocked at his infatuation, and changed the subject, after we had agreed to maintain a close correspondence for the future.
— from The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by T. Smollett - To maintain a cause which I believed sacred I have lost the throne and my children their inheritance.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - For the man who says, “It is day,” appears to maintain the fact of its being day.
— from The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius - Nevertheless, South America has been unable to maintain democratic institutions.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville
