It is a juvenile notion that a society needs a lofty purpose and a shining vision to achieve much. Both in the marketplace and on the battlefield men who set their hearts on toys have often displayed unequal initiative and drive. And one must be ignorant of the creative process to look for a close correspondence between motive and achievement in the world of thought and imagination.
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The hatred and cruelty which have their source in selfishness are ineffectual things compared with the venom and ruthlessness born read more
The hatred and cruelty which have their source in selfishness are ineffectual things compared with the venom and ruthlessness born of selflessness.
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.
Just as some plants bear fruit only if they don't shoot up too high, so in practical arts the leaves read more
Just as some plants bear fruit only if they don't shoot up too high, so in practical arts the leaves and flowers of theory must be pruned and the plant kept close to its proper soil- experience.
Probably the difference between man and the monkeys is that the monkeys are merely bored, while man has boredom plus read more
Probably the difference between man and the monkeys is that the monkeys are merely bored, while man has boredom plus imagination.
The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others.
The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our desire to be like others.
When watching men of power in action it must be always kept in mind that, whether they know it or read more
When watching men of power in action it must be always kept in mind that, whether they know it or not, their main purpose is the elimination or neutralization of the independent individual- the independent voter, consumer, worker, owner, thinker- and that every device they employ aims at turning men into a manipulable "animated instrument" which is Aristotle's definition of a slave.
A kiss to or from a woman we love is a far too delicate pledge of affection to bear the read more
A kiss to or from a woman we love is a far too delicate pledge of affection to bear the gaze of strangers.
Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex read more
Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and just improve the things that are not so good. What is lacking in this conception is any sense that a society, an institution, or even a single human being, is an intricate system of fragile inter-relationships, whose complexities are little understood and easily destabilized.
The first thing a man will do for his ideals is lie.
The first thing a man will do for his ideals is lie.
