Ideals are very often formed in the effort to escape from the hard task of dealing with facts, which is the function of science and art. There is no process by which to reach an ideal. There are no tests by which to verify it. It is therefore impossible to frame a proposition about an ideal which can be proved or disproved. It follows that the use of ideals is to be strictly limited to proper cases, and that the attempt to use ideals in social discussion does not deserve serious consideration.
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We cannot hate those who we despise.
We cannot hate those who we despise.
We have rudiments of reverence for the human body, but we consider as nothing the rape of the human mind.
We have rudiments of reverence for the human body, but we consider as nothing the rape of the human mind.
Men who love wisdom should acquaint themselves with a great many particulars.
Men who love wisdom should acquaint themselves with a great many particulars.
No one is truly literate who cannot read his own heart.
No one is truly literate who cannot read his own heart.
I am what is mine. Personality is the original personal property.
I am what is mine. Personality is the original personal property.
It needs some intelligence to be truly selfish. The unintelligent can only be self-righteous.
It needs some intelligence to be truly selfish. The unintelligent can only be self-righteous.
Only a mediocre person is always at his best.
Only a mediocre person is always at his best.
The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its antihumanity.
The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its antihumanity.
There are many who find the burdens, the anxiety, and the isolation of an individual existence unbearable. This is particularly read more
There are many who find the burdens, the anxiety, and the isolation of an individual existence unbearable. This is particularly true when the opportunities for self-advancement are relatively meager, and one's individual interests and prospects do not seem worth living for. Such persons sooner or later turn their backs on an individual existence and strive to acquire a sense of worth and a purpose by an identification with a holy cause, a leader, or a movement. The faith and pride they derive from such an identification serve them as substitutes for the unattainable self-confidence and self-respect.
