Desiderius Erasmus

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

Nowadays the rage for possession has got to such a pitch that there is nothing in the realm of nature, read more

Nowadays the rage for possession has got to such a pitch that there is nothing in the realm of nature, whether sacred or profane, out of which profit cannot be squeezed

If you look at history you'll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power read more

If you look at history you'll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict.

Great eagerness in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or honor, cannot exist without sin.

Great eagerness in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or honor, cannot exist without sin.

Trinity Sunday I vehemently dissent from those who would not have private persons read the Holy Scriptures, nor read more

Trinity Sunday I vehemently dissent from those who would not have private persons read the Holy Scriptures, nor have them translated into the vulgar tongues. I would wish that all women -- girls even -- would read the Gospels and the letters of Paul. I wish that they were translated into all languages of all people. To make them understood is surely the first step. It may be that they might be ridiculed by many, but some would take them to heart. I long that the husbandman should sing portions of them to himself as he follows the plough, that the weaver should hum them to the tune of his shuttle, that the traveller should beguile with their stories the tedium of his journey.