In battle it is the cowards who run the most risk; bravery is a rampart of defense. Gaius Sallustius Crispus on risk
It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it. Oliver Cromwell on freedom
The poet ranks far below the painter in the representation of visible things, and far below the musician in that of invisible thin Leonardo Da Vinci on art
Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason. Leonardo Da Vinci on reason
Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active. Leonardo Da Vinci on work
Swift speedy time, feathered with flying hours, Dissolves the beauty of the fairest brow. Samuel Daniel on time
This is perhaps the most distinctive Buddhist teaching, that suffering is the product of 'the craving of the passions, the craving for existence, the craving fornonexistence.' It is, however, far from an obvious truth. Certain cases of suffering areplainly due to craving, namely, those that are due to frustrated desires. Desires may be eased by satisfaction or extirpation; and one may allow that if one stopped desiring, itwould amount to preventing all the suffering due to frustration. But this does not provethe general case.... Body, feelings, perception, mentality, and consciousness are separate sets of graspings. There is nothing that -does- the grasping. -We- are the aggregate ofthe graspings, not something, apart from them, that does the grasping. This is an interesting and startling thought. Arthur Coleman Danto on identity
There is no such thing as justice - in or out of court. Clarence S. Darrow on justice
There is a soul of truth in error; there is a soul of good in evil. Clarence S. Darrow on truth
History shows that the human mind, fed by constant accessions of knowledge, periodically grows too large for its theoretical coverings, and bursts them asunder to appear in new habiliments, as the feeding and growing grub, at intervals, casts its too narrow skin and assumes another.... Truly the imago state of Man seems to be terribly distant, but every moult is a step gained. Charles Darwin on change
We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities...still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. Charles Darwin on darwinism
In the survival of favoured individuals and races, during the constantly-recurring struggle for existence, we see a powerful and ever-acting form of selection. Charles Darwin on nature
Only that in you which is me can hear what I'm saying. Baba Ram Dass on identity
The methodological advice to interpret in a way that optimizes agreement should not be conceived as resting on a charitable assumption about human intelligence that might turn out to be false. If we cannot find a way to interpret the utterances and other behaviour of a creature as revealing a set of beliefs largely consistent and true by our standards, we have no reason to count that creature as rational, as having beliefs, or as saying anything. Donald Davidson on advice
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness. Robertson Davies on happiness
Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone- but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding. Bette Davis on love
That's the nature of women, not to love when we love them, and to love when we love them not. Miguel De Cervantes on women