Religion is not a matter of God, church, holy cause, etc. These are but accessories. The source of religious preoccupation is in the self, or rather the rejection of the self. Dedication is the obverse side of self-rejection. Man alone is a religious animal because, as Montaigne points out, "it is a malady confined to man, and not seen in any other creature, to hate and despise ourselves.".
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The world is governed more by appearance than realities so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know read more
The world is governed more by appearance than realities so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.
The demands of unbounded individualism need to be weighed in the light of inherent social constraints which can only change read more
The demands of unbounded individualism need to be weighed in the light of inherent social constraints which can only change their form but cannot be eliminated without eliminating civilization.
It is a governing principle of nature, that the agency which can produce most good, when perverted from its proper read more
It is a governing principle of nature, that the agency which can produce most good, when perverted from its proper aim, is most productive of evil. It behooves the well-intentioned, therefore, vigorously to watch the tendency of even their most highly prized institutions, since that which was established in the interests of the right, may so easily become the agent of the wrong.
Credulity is belief in slight evidence, with no evidence, or against evidence.
Credulity is belief in slight evidence, with no evidence, or against evidence.
Civilization is unbearable, but it is less unbearable at the top.
Civilization is unbearable, but it is less unbearable at the top.
...one of the tests of a theory is that, once grasped, it appears self-evident.
...one of the tests of a theory is that, once grasped, it appears self-evident.
Society is joint action and cooperation in which each participant sees the other partner's success as a means for the read more
Society is joint action and cooperation in which each participant sees the other partner's success as a means for the attainment of his own.
The rule seems to be that those who find no difficulty in deceiving themselves are easily deceived by others. They read more
The rule seems to be that those who find no difficulty in deceiving themselves are easily deceived by others. They are easily persuaded and led.
The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.
The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.
