Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Thornton Wilder

Quote by Thornton Wilder

Work

The Bridge of San Luis Rey and Other Novels, 1926-1948

This collection encompasses a selection of works, with 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey' being one of its most celebrated pieces, reflecting the author's narrative style and thematic concerns during the specified period. more

Author

Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder

American playwright, renowned for his works 'Our Town' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'. His works are characterized by deep insight and a unique style, profoundly influencing 20th-century American theater. more

You May Also Like

“For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner ... on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. ... That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that.”

“I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God.”

“If you think your belief is based upon reason, you will support it by argument rather than by persecution, and will abandon it if the argument goes against you. But if your belief is based upon faith, you will realize that argument is useless, and will therefore resort to force either in the form of persecution or by stunting or distorting the minds of the young in what is called 'education.'”

“Instead of encouraging the student to devote himself to his studies for the sake of studying, instead of encouraging in him a real love for his subject and for inquiry, he is encouraged to study for the sake of his personal career; he is led to acquire only such knowledge as is serviceable in getting him over the hurdles which he must clear for the sake of his advancement.”