Quotes to inspire and reflect

Democracy passes into despotism.

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

Courage is a kind of salvation. Courage is knowing what not to fear.

Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequal alike.

Come then, and let us pass a leisure hour in storytelling, and our story shall be the education of our heroes.

Complacent ignorance is the most lethal sickness of the soul

Certainly we shall have to look to ourselves, and try to find someone who will help in some way or other to improve us.

By harming a horse, you decrease his excellence. Thus, by harming a person, you decrease their excellence.

Books are immortal sons defying their sires.

Between the best of all, which is to do injustice and not be punished, and the worst of all, which is to suffer injustice without the power of retaliation; and justice, being at a middle point between the two, is tolerated not as a good, but as the lesser evil.

But of the heaven which is above the heavens, what earthly poet ever did or ever will sing worthily?

Beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may.

Because people want more and more possessions, they start wanting more money, and thus honor money more and excellence less. Accordingly, the wealthy become more honored, and the people of excellence less honored. With the majority now money-loving businessmen instead of lovers of victory and honor, the admirable rich men will be put into office, and the poor will be dishonored.

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity I mean the true simplicity of a rightly and nobly ordered mind and character, not that other simplicity which is only a euphemism for folly.

Beauty is the splendor of truth.

Beauty is certainly a soft, smooth, slippery thing, and therefore of a nature which easily slips in and permeates our souls.

He whom love touches not walks in darkness

Love is a good poet and accomplished in all the fine arts; for no one can give to another that which he has not himself, or teach that of which he has no knowledge. Who will deny that the creation of the animals is his doing? Are they not all the works of his wisdom, born and begotten of him? And as to the artists, do we not know that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of fame?

At the touch of love, Everyone becomes a poet.

Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.

Assuredly he will love that most whose interests he regards as identical with his own, and in whose prosperity or adversity he believes his own fortunes to be involved.

As wolves love lambs so lovers love their loves.

As there are misanthropists, or haters of men, there are also misologists, or haters of ideas, and both spring from the same cause, which is ignorance of the world.

Appearance tyrannizes over truth.

As it is, the lover of inquiry must follow his beloved wherever it may lead him.

Wonder is the only beginning of philosophy

Artist or sage or ruler errs at the time when he is what his name implies.

Arithmetic is a kind of knowledge in which the best natures should be trained, and which must not be given up.

As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.

Are you not ashamed that you give your attention to acquiring as much money as possible, and similarly with reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul?

Any city however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich. These are at war with one another.

Any peace is better than any war

An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.

An accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men

All learning is in the learner, not the teacher.

All who do evil and dishonorable things do them against their will.

All knowledge, when separated from justice and virtue, is seen to be cunning and not wisdom.

All learning has an emotional base.

All is flux, nothing stays still.

All I really know is the extent of my own ignorance

Age isn't easy for a good man if he's poor, nor will a bad man ever be cheerful with himself even if he's rich.

All enquiry and all learning is but recollection.

A sensible man will remember that the eyes may be confused in two ways - by a change from light to darkness or from darkness to light; and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul.

Above all things truth beareth away the victory.

A person's desires force him to something to reason and he berates himself and gets indignant with the part that forces him, and his spirit allies with reason as though reason and desire were at civil war.

A measure of such things which in any degree falls short of the whole truth is not fair measure; for nothing imperfect is the measure of anything, although persons are too apt to be contented and think that they need search no further.

A principle which has any soundness should stand firm not only just now, but always.

A man ought not to return evil for evil, as many think, since at no time ought we to do an injury to our neighbor.