Men will sooner surrender their rights than their customs.

Men will sooner surrender their rights than their customs.

Custom governs the world; it is the tyrant of our feelings and our manners and rules the world with the read more

Custom governs the world; it is the tyrant of our feelings and our manners and rules the world with the hand of a despot.

Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb.

Custom meets us at the cradle and leaves us only at the tomb.

We do everything by custom, even believe by it; our very axioms, let us boast of free-thinking as we may, read more

We do everything by custom, even believe by it; our very axioms, let us boast of free-thinking as we may, are oftenest simply such beliefs as we have never heard questioned.

Ancient custom has the force of law.

Ancient custom has the force of law.

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs read more

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking.

The custom and fashion of today will be the awkwardness and outrage of tomorrow--so arbitrary are these transient laws.

The custom and fashion of today will be the awkwardness and outrage of tomorrow--so arbitrary are these transient laws.

Custom has furnished the only basis which ethics have ever had.

Custom has furnished the only basis which ethics have ever had.

Every age, every culture, every custom and tradition has its own character, its own weakness and its own strength, its read more

Every age, every culture, every custom and tradition has its own character, its own weakness and its own strength, its beauties and cruelties; it accepts certain sufferings as matters of course, puts up patiently with certain evils. Human life is reduced to real suffering, to hell, only when two ages, two cultures and religions overlap.