Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty
is absurd.
A witty saying proves nothing.
I know many books which have bored their readers,
but I know of none which has done real evil.
In every author let us distinguish the man from his
works.
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they
revere.
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
Let us read and let us dance - two amusements that
will never do any harm to the world.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.
No problem can withstand the assault of sustained
thinking.
Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires
the hand of time.
Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth
thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.
The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.
The instruction we find in books is like fire. We
fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all.
The progress of rivers to the ocean is not so rapid
as that of man to error.
To hold a pen is to be at war.
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid,
you must also be well-mannered. [JLJ - being ignorant is also a plus. What also is helpful is arrogance, greed, and
having a large ego]
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually
pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
We cannot wish for that we know not.
What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity.
We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.
What most persons consider as virtue, after the age
of 40 is simply a loss of energy.
When he to whom one speaks does not understand, and he
who speaks himself does not understand, that is metaphysics.
The multitude of books is making us ignorant.
Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need.
It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad
books.
The superfluous is very necessary.
To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything
or nothing about it.
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
Dare to think for yourself.
I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way.
The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling
man to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that he wants to believe.
Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden
path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.
Every man is a creature of the age in which he lives and few are able to
raise themselves above the ideas of the time.
The true triumph of reason is that it enables us
to get along with those who do not possess it.
There are truths which are not for all men, nor for
all times.
