In regard to "of that "

Question

And indeed, great men speak to us only so far as we have ears and souls to hear them; only so far as we have in us the roots, at least, of that which flowers out in them.

what is the meaning of "of that" at the end of the above sentence ?

GPY · Accepted Answer

"that which flowers out in them" means "the thing that flowers out in them", I suppose referring to qualities exhibited by great men, such as wisdom, bravery, or whatever it may be..

Sinbadsunny · Answer

The original says "of that which flowers out in them ", but I cannot understand the meaning of " of that which ".

CalifJim · Answer

Sinbadsunnythe roots, at least, of that which flowers out in them

~ at least the roots of the thing which flowers out in them

CJ

GPY · Answer

SinbadsunnyThe original says "of that which flowers out in them ", but I cannot understand the meaning of " of that which ".

... the roots, at least, of that which flowers out in them.

Take out "at least", which is parenthetical. This leaves "the roots of that which flowers out in them". The basic structure of this phrase is "the roots of X". X is "that which flowers out in them", which means what I said earlier.

In regard to "of that "

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