30 quotes
British malacologist (1813–1877)
“Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.”
"No one means all he says and yet very few say all they mean."
on Truth
"Philosophy . . .consists chiefly in suggesting unintelligible answers to insoluble problems."
on Philosophy
"The Indian Summer of life should be a little sunny and a little sad, like the season, and infinite in wealth and depth of tone, but never hustled."
on Life
"Friends are born, not made."
on Relationships
"Politics... have always been the systematic organization of hatreds."
on Politics
"Politics, as a practise, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds."
"He too serves a certain purpose who only stands and cheers."
"Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuses himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels."
"All experience is an arch, to build upon."
on Learning
"It is impossible to underrate human intelligence - beginning with one's own."
on Wisdom
"No man likes to have his intelligence or good faith questioned, especially if he has doubts about it himself."
"The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught."
on Education
"A teacher affects eternity he can never tell where his influence stops."
"Knowledge of human nature is the beginning and end of political education."
"Chaos was the law of nature Order was the dream of man."
"No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous."
on Communication
"Everyone carries his own inch-rule of taste and amuses himself by applying it triumphantly wherever he travels."
"Politics as a practice whatever its professions has always been the systematic organization of hatreds."
"Practical politics consists in ignoring facts."
