Men have made an idol of luck as an excuse for their own thoughtlessness.

Men have made an idol of luck as an excuse for their own thoughtlessness.

Chaos often breeds life when order breeds habit.

Chaos often breeds life when order breeds habit.

In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes- courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, and so on- read more

In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes- courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, and so on- can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us. Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion, even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Because we do not understand the brain very well we are constantly tempted to use the latest technology as a read more

Because we do not understand the brain very well we are constantly tempted to use the latest technology as a model for trying to understand it. In my childhood we were always assured that the brain was a telephone switchboard. ('What else could it be?') I was amused to see that Sherrington, the great British neuroscientist, thought that the brain worked like a telegraph system. Freud often compared the brain to hydraulic and electro-magnetic systems. Leibniz compared it to a mill, and I am told some of the ancient Greeks thought the brain functions like a catapult. At present, obviously, the metaphor is the digital computer.

There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom.

There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom.

It is nobler to convert souls, than to conquer kingdoms.

It is nobler to convert souls, than to conquer kingdoms.

Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character, and one of the best instruments of success. read more

Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character, and one of the best instruments of success. Without it genius wastes its efforts in a maze of inconsistencies.

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin read more

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.