"Yet, so far from laboring to know the forbidden tree of worldly pleasures and its various fruits, man gives himself up to a careless and thoughtless state of life, and yields to the lust of the flesh, not considering that this lust is really the forbidden tree"

This quote by Johann Arndt speaks to the concept that people typically succumb to the temptations of the world, without thinking about the consequences. He is recommending that rather of aiming to understand the "prohibited tree of worldly enjoyments and its various fruits," human beings often take the easy path and give in to the "desire of the flesh." This desire, he suggests, is the forbidden tree, and it is something that should be prevented. He is cautioning that if we do not make the effort to understand the effects of our actions, we will be doomed to suffer the repercussions. This quote functions as a tip that we ought to take the time to think of our choices and the potential effects before we act. We must aim to comprehend the "forbidden tree of worldly pleasures" and its numerous fruits, so that we can make educated decisions and prevent the repercussions of our actions.