It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows read more

It is common to assume that human progress affects everyone- that even the dullest man, in these bright days, knows more than any man of, say, the Eighteenth Century, and is far more civilized. This assumption is quite erroneous...The great masses of men, even in this inspired republic, are precisely where the mob was at the dawn of history. They are ignorant, they are dishonest, they are cowardly, they are ignoble. They know little if anything that is worth knowing, and there is not the slightest sign of a natural desire among them to increase their knowledge.

A society that refuses to strive for superfluities is likely to end up lacking in necessities.

A society that refuses to strive for superfluities is likely to end up lacking in necessities.

In human affairs, the best stimulus for running ahead is to have something we must run from.

In human affairs, the best stimulus for running ahead is to have something we must run from.

If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting
values, we must recognize the whole gamut of read more

If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting
values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human
potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one
in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.

We have no claim to share in the glory of our ancestors unless we strive to resemble them.

We have no claim to share in the glory of our ancestors unless we strive to resemble them.

The rout is Folly's circle, which she draws
With magic wand. So potent is the spell,
That read more

The rout is Folly's circle, which she draws
With magic wand. So potent is the spell,
That none decoy'd into that fatal ring,
Unless by Heaven's peculiar grace, escape.
There we grow early gray, but never wise.

Almost everyone who has read history in a more than casual manner knows that when the great figure of God read more

Almost everyone who has read history in a more than casual manner knows that when the great figure of God appears in a controversy, the shooting cannot be far off.

Any good practical philosophy must start out with the recognition of our having a body.

Any good practical philosophy must start out with the recognition of our having a body.

Evolution as such is no longer a theory for a modern author. It is as much a fact as that read more

Evolution as such is no longer a theory for a modern author. It is as much a fact as that the earth revolves around the sun.