Oration of the Dignity of Man

"But what is the purpose of all this? That we may understand --- since we have been born into this condition of being what we choose to be --- that we ought to be sure above all else that it may never be said against us that, born to a high position, we failed to appreciate it, but fell instead to the estate of brutes and uncomprehending beasts of burden …
and finally that we may not, through abuse of the generosity of a most indulgent Father, pervert the free option which he has given us from a saving to a damning gift. Let a certain saving ambition invade our souls so that, impatient of mediocrity, we pant after the highest things and (since, if we will, we can) bend all our efforts to their attainment. Let us disdain things of earth, hold as little worth even the astral orders and, putting behind us all the things of this world, hasten to that court beyond the world, closest to the most exalted Godhead.”
-Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola in Oration of the Dignity of Man

In school right now, I'm learning about Renaissance Humanism, so I decided to read a bit of the essay/letter, Oration of the Dignity of Man. It displays a rather humanistic version of Christianity, and I'm not sure that I agree with everything (or even most) of what's in there, but I did find this one passage quite intriguing.