Two angels guide
The path of man, both aged and yet young.
As angels are, ripening through read more

Two angels guide
The path of man, both aged and yet young.
As angels are, ripening through endless years,
On one he leans: some call her Memory,
And some Tradition; and her voice is sweet,
With deep mysterious accords: the other,
Floating above, holds down a lamp with streams
A light divine and searching on the earth,
Compelling eyes and footsteps. Memory yields,
Yet clings with loving check, and shines anew,
Reflecting all the rays of that bright lamp
Our angel Reason holds. We had not walked
But for Tradition; we walk evermore
To higher paths by brightening Reason's lamp.

All extremes does perfect reason flee,
And wishes to be wise quite soberly.
[Fr., La parfaite raison read more

All extremes does perfect reason flee,
And wishes to be wise quite soberly.
[Fr., La parfaite raison fuit toute extremite,
Et veut que l'on soit sage avec sobriete.]

Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.

Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.

But all was false and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear
read more

But all was false and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash
Maturest counsels.

There is no reason to repeat bad history.

There is no reason to repeat bad history.

I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is read more

I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.

You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

But it is not reason that governs love.
[Fr., Mais la raison n'est pas ce qui regle l'amour.]

But it is not reason that governs love.
[Fr., Mais la raison n'est pas ce qui regle l'amour.]

For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear
the better reason.
[Lat., Nam et Socrati objiciunt read more

For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear
the better reason.
[Lat., Nam et Socrati objiciunt comici, docere eum quomodo
pejorem causam meliorem faciat.]