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John Ruskin Quotes

Art critic

John Ruskin was an influential British art critic, writer, and social critic. Known for his profound insights into art, architecture, and social issues, he had a significant impact on the aesthetics and culture of the Victorian era.

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All Men Ifs Art Literature May Humans People Doe Firsts Thinking Architecture Heart World Giving Littles Children Knows Mean Political Done

Famous John Ruskin Quotes

“Temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good thing, as in love and in faith; but it means the power which governs the most intense energy, and prevents its acting in way but as it ought.”

Way Mean Doe Energy Acting Ought Good Things Intense Imperfect Stopping Temperance

Book:The Stones of Venice...

Source: The Stones of Venice...

“Nobody cares much at heart about Titian, only there is a strange undercurrent of everlasting murmur about his name, which means the deep consent of all great men that he is greater than they.”

Men Heart Mean Care Names Greater Greatness Strange Great Men Consent Everlasting Nobody Cares

Author:John Ruskin

“You do not see with the lens of the eye. You seen through that, and by means of that, but you see with the soul of the eye.”

Mean Soul Eye Lenses

Book:The works of John Ruskin

Source: The works of John Ruskin

“The word "Blue" does not mean the sensation caused by a gentian on the human eye; but it means the power of producing that sensation: and this power is always there, in the thing, whether we are there to experience it or not, and would remain there though there were not a man left on the face of the earth.”

Men Humans Mean Doe Eye Earth Faces Left Blue Sensations Human Eyes

Book:Selections and Essays

Source: Selections and Essays

“Other men used their effete faiths and mean faculties with a high moral purpose. The Venetian gave the most earnest faith, and the lordliest faculty, to gild the shadows of an antechamber, or heighten the splendours of a holiday.”

Men Mean Used Purpose Moral Shadow Holiday Faculty Earnest Splendour

Book:Pt. 6-9 of leaf beauty. of cloud beauty. of ideas of relation

Source: Pt. 6-9 of leaf beauty. of cloud beauty. of ideas of relation

“There is no action so slight or so mean but it may be done to a great purpose, and ennobled thereby.”

May Mean Done Action Purpose

Author:John Ruskin

“Failure is less attributable to either insufficiency of means or impatience of labours than to a confused understanding of the thing actually to be done.”

Mean Done Understanding Confused Labour Impatience Insufficiency

Book:The seven lamps of architecture

Source: The seven lamps of architecture

“I do not mean to call an elephant a vulgar animal, but if you think about him carefully, you will find that his nonvulgarity consists in such gentleness as is possible to elephantine nature-not in his insensitive hide, nor in his clumsy foot, but in the way he will lift his foot if a child lies in his way; and in his sensitive trunk, and still more sensitive mind, and capability of pique on points of honor.”

Source: pt. VI: Of leaf beauty. pt. VII: Of cloud beauty. pts. VIII-IX: Of ideas of relation

“The first test of a truly great man is his humility. By humility I don't mean doubt of his powers or hesitation in speaking his opinion, but merely an understanding of the relationship of what he can say and what he can do.”

Men Firsts Mean Understanding Can Do Opinion Doubt Relationship Humility Tests Great Men Hesitation

Author:John Ruskin

“The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education.”

People Firsts Mean Government Political Politics Education Moral Duty Clothes Intellectual Fuel

Book:Fors Clavigera

Source: Fors Clavigera

“No girl who is well bred, 'kind, and modest, is ever offensively plain; all real deformity means want of manners, or of heart.”

Want Wells Heart Kind Mean Persons Real Appearance Manners Modesty Modest Deformity

Author:John Ruskin

“Cookery means…English thoroughness, French art, and Arabian hospitality; it means the knowledge of all fruits and herbs and balms and spices; it means carefulness, inventiveness, and watchfulness.”

Mean Art Food Fruit Hospitality Spices Herbs Cookery Arabian Inventiveness Watchfulness Carefulness Thoroughness Herbs And Spices

Author:John Ruskin

“I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.”

Men Firsts Believe Mean Feelings I Believe Doubt Greatness Humility Divine Tests Curious Great Men Really Great Merciful

Author:John Ruskin

“What does cookery mean? It means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe, and of Calypso, and Sheba. It means knowledge of all herbs, and fruits, and balms and spices... It means the economy of your great-grandmother and the science of modern chemistry, and French art, and Arabian hospitality. It means, in fine, that you are to see imperatively that everyone has something nice to eat.”

Mean Doe Art Knowledge Economy Nice Modern Food Fine Cooking Fruit Grandmother Culinary Chemistry Hospitality Spices Herbs Cookery Arabian Great Grandmother Calypso Medea

Author:John Ruskin

“Education is the leading human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them; and these two objects are always attainable together, and by the same means; the training which makes man happiest in themselves also makes them most serviceable to others.”

Men Humans Mean Two Soul Together Education Teaching Objects Training Human Soul

Book:The Stones of Venice -: The Fall

Source: The Stones of Venice -: The Fall

“There is nothing so great or so goodly in creation, but that it is a mean symbol of the gospel of Christ, and of the things He has prepared for them that love Him.”

Mean Christ Creation Prepared Symbols

Book:The Stones of Venice: The fall

Source: The Stones of Venice: The fall

“Nature is always mysterious and secret in her use of means; and art is always likest her when it is most inexplicable.”

Mean Art Use Nature Secret Art Is Mysterious Inexplicable

Book:Pt. 1-2. of general principles and of truth

Source: Pt. 1-2. of general principles and of truth

“Drawing is a means of obtaining and communicating knowledge”

Mean Communicate Drawing Obtaining

Book:A Joy Forever

Source: A Joy Forever

“There is no wealth but life. Life, including all its powers of love, of joy, and of admiration. That country is the richest which nourishes the greatest numbers of noble and happy human beings; that man is richest, who, having perfected the functions of his own life to the utmost, has also the widest helpful influence, both personal, and by means of his possessions, over the lives of others.”

Men Humans Mean Country Joy Wealth Human Beings Numbers Influence Function Including Possession Noble Helpful Admiration Power Of Love Lives Of Others

Book:Unto this Last

Source: Unto this Last

“To follow art for the sake of being a great man, and therefore to cast about continually for some means of achieving position or attracting admiration, is the surest way of ending in total extinction.”

Men Way Mean Art Achieve Position Sake Casts Great Men Admiration Extinction

Book:Modern Painters

Source: Modern Painters

About the Author

Born: February 8, 1819
Died: January 20, 1900
Known for: Art critic
Quotes: 634

Books & Sources

The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His WritingsRelated source material

The seven lamps of architectureRelated source material

Modern PaintersRelated source material

Selections from the Writings of John RuskinRelated source material

The Stones of VeniceRelated source material

Selections and EssaysRelated source material

The works of John RuskinRelated source material

Unto this LastRelated source material

On Art and LifeRelated source material

The Crown of Wild OliveRelated source material

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