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Reason Quotes

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Reason Quotes

“The masterpiece should appear as the flower to the painter - perfect in its bud as in its bloom - with no reason to explain its presence - no mission to fulfill - a joy to the artist, a delusion to the philanthropist - a puzzle to the botanist - an accident of sentiment and alliteration to the literary man.”

Men Should Reason Joy Artist Perfect Flower Masters Missions Accidents Painter Delusion No Reason Sentiments Puzzles Masterpiece Bud Philanthropist Alliteration

Book:The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

Source: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

“As all Nature's thousands changes But one changeless God proclaim; So in Art's wide kingdom ranges One sole meaning still the same: This is Truth, eternal Reason, Which from Beauty takes its dress, And serene through time and season Stands aye in loveliness.”

Art Stills Reason Eternal Seasons Dresses Wide Kingdoms Range Sole Serene Rough Times Loveliness

Book:Travel years

Source: Travel years

“Perhaps it is not without reason that we attribute facility in belief and conviction to simplicity and ignorance; for it seems to me I once learned that belief was sort of an impression made on our mind, and that the softer it is the less resistant t.”

Mind Made Reason Seems Belief Ignorance Simplicity Conviction Impression Attributes Facility

Author:Michel de Montaigne

“The thing in the world I am most afraid of is fear, and with good reason; that passion alone, in the trouble of it, exceeding all other accidents”

World Reason Passion Fear Trouble Accidents

Book:The Works of Michael de Montaigne: Comprising His Essays, Letters, and Journey Through Germany and Italy. With Notes from All the Commentators, Biographical and Bibliographical Notices &c., &c

Source: The Works of Michael de Montaigne: Comprising His Essays, Letters, and Journey Through Germany and Italy. With Notes from All the Commentators, Biographical and Bibliographical Notices &c., &c

“How did reason come into the world? As is fitting, in an irrational manner, by accident. One will have to guess at it as at a riddle.”

World Reason Accidents Irrational Fitting Riddle

Book:The Portable Nietzsche

Source: The Portable Nietzsche

“It's asking a great deal that things should appeal to your reason as well as your sense of the aesthetic. - Of Human Bondage”

Should Humans Wells Reason Deals Asking Appeals Aesthetic Bondage Human Bondage

Book:Of Human Bondage

Source: Of Human Bondage

“It's my job to be better than the rest, and that's enough reason to go for me. It's my job to be better than the rest, and that makes the day for me.”

Reason Enough Jobs Doing Your Best

Author:Jimmy Buffett

“For comic writers charge Socrates with making the worse appear the better reason.”

Author:Quintilian

“Where we desire to be informed 'tis good to contest with men above ourselves; but to confirm and establish our opinions, 'tis best to argue with judgments below our own, that the frequent spoils and victories over their reasons may settle in ourselves an esteem and confirmed opinion of our own.”

Men May Reason Desire Opinion Victory Judgment Argument Arguing Esteem Settling Contests Spoil

Author:Thomas Browne

“But it is not reason that governs love.”

Author:Moliere

“All extremes does perfect reason flee, And wishes to be wise quite soberly.”

Doe Reason Wish Perfect Wise Extremes Being Wise

Author:Moliere

“As to harmonizing the theory of evolution with the Biblical account of creation, I do not believe it can be done, and I do not see why it should be. The story of Genesis is beautiful, and profoundly significant as symbolism: there is no good reason to torture it into conformity with modern theory.”

Should Believe Reason Done Stories Beautiful Religion Modern Creation Theory Evolution Accounts Significant Torture Conformity Biblical Genesis Symbolism Theory Of Evolution

Author:Will Durant

“I see no reason for calling my work poetry except that there is no other category in which to put it.”

Writing Reason Calling No Reason Categories

Book:The complete prose of Marianne Moore

Source: The complete prose of Marianne Moore

“It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is nor an answer Neither is resignation Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment.”

Wells May Mean Reason Government Sin Answers Possibility Despair Pressure Punishment Indifference Resignation

Author:Elie Wiesel

“Wine takes away reason, engenders insanity, leads to thousands of crimes, and imposes such an enormous expense on nations.”

Reason Nations Crime Wine Enormous Insanity Expenses

Author:Pliny the Elder

“How full of error is the judgment of mankind! They wonder at results when they are ignorant of the reasons”

Reason Results Wonder Mankind Judgment Errors Ignorant

Author:Pietro Metastasio

“To abstain that we may enjoy is the epicurianism of reason.”

May Reason Enjoy Eating

Author:Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“We have this terrible struggle to try to explain things to people who have no reason to want to know.”

People Knows Want Trying Reason Struggle Communication Terrible No Reason

Book:The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman

Source: The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman

“A man makes inferiors his superiors by heat; self control is the rule. Anger is an uncontrollable feeling that betrays what you are when you are not yourself. Anger is that powerful internal force that blows out the light of reason. Know this to be the enemy: it is anger, born of desire.”

Knows Men Self Reason Feelings Light Desire Force Born Powerful Enemy Anger Blow Superiors Heat Internals Betray Self Control Inferiors Uncontrollable

Author:Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You've got to save your own soul first, and then the souls of your neighbors if they will let you; and for that reason you must cultivate, not a spirit of criticism, but the talents that attract people to the hearing of the Word.”

People Ifs Firsts Soul Reason Spirit Influence Talent Criticism Hearing Neighbor

Book:The Marquis of Lossie

Source: The Marquis of Lossie

“Mysticism joins and unites; reason divides and separates. People crave belonging more than understanding. Hence the prominent role of mysticism, and the limited role of reason in human affairs.”

People Humans Reason Understanding Roles Affair Mysticism Belonging Divides Crave Prominent

Book:The Untamed Tongue: A Dissenting Dictionary

Source: The Untamed Tongue: A Dissenting Dictionary

“It is faith, and not reason, which impels men to action... Intelligence is content to point out the road, but never drives us along it.”

Men Reason Action Faith

Author:Alexis Carrel

“Blind fear, that seeing reason leads, finds safer footing than blind reason stumbling without fear: to fear the worst oft cures the worse.”

Reason Seeing Worst Blind Cures Blindness Stumbling

Book:Troilus and Cressida In Plain and Simple English: A Modern Translation and the Original Version

Source: Troilus and Cressida In Plain and Simple English: A Modern Translation and the Original Version

“Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.”

Reason Humanity Technology Wrong Reasons Computer Technology Technology And Education Art And Technology

Author:R. Buckminster Fuller

“There is no reason why humanity cannot be served equally by weighty and trivial motives.”

Reason Humanity Reason Why Motive No Reason

Book:The Passionate State of Mind

Source: The Passionate State of Mind

“Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know. One often obtains a clue to a person's nature by discovering the reasons for his or her imperviousness to certain impressions.”

Knows Want Persons Reason Certain Impression Crucial Discovering Clue

Book:The Passionate State of Mind

Source: The Passionate State of Mind

“There are women who have an indefinable charm in their faces which makes them beautiful to their intimates, but a cold stranger who tried to reason the matter out and find this beauty would fail.”

Matter Reason Beautiful Faces Failing Cold Stranger Charm Indefinable

Book:A Tramp Abroad: Mark Twain's Collections

Source: A Tramp Abroad: Mark Twain's Collections

“We must put up with clothes as they are they have their reason for existing. They are on us to expose us to advertise what we wear them to conceal.”

Book:The Writings of Mark Twain: Following the equator; a journey around the world

Source: The Writings of Mark Twain: Following the equator; a journey around the world

“for a poet is a light and winged thing, and holy, and never able to compose until he has become inspired, and is beside himself, and reason is no longer in him.”

Reason Light Able Poetry Poet Holy Inspired

Book:Phaedrus, Ion, Gorgias, and Symposium: With Passages from the Republic and Laws

Source: Phaedrus, Ion, Gorgias, and Symposium: With Passages from the Republic and Laws

“If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, Who shows so much anger and iniquity, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith.”

Ifs Needs Reason Shows Would Be Effort Anger Merciful Iniquity

Author:Martin Luther

“And long shall timorous fancy see The painted chief, and pointed spear, And Reason's self shall bow the knee To shadows and delusions here.”

Long Self Reason Shadow Chiefs Knees Fancy Delusion Bows Spears

Book:The Poems of Philip Freneau: Poet of the American Revolution (Complete)

Source: The Poems of Philip Freneau: Poet of the American Revolution (Complete)

“The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it.”

Reason Religion Party Liberty Hell Knowing Poet Devil Angel Milton Fetters

Author:William Blake

“Some men do as much begrudge others a good name, as they want one themselves: and perhaps that is the reason of it.”

Men Want Reason Names

Book:Franklin's Way to Wealth and Penn's Maxims

Source: Franklin's Way to Wealth and Penn's Maxims

“The patient typically finds himself impelled by some deep, inner conviction that something is true, or right, or virtuous: a conviction that doesn't seem to owe anything to evidence or reason, but which, nevertheless, he feels as totally compelling and convincing. We doctors refer to such a belief as 'faith'.”

Feels Reason Seems Belief Evidence Doctors Patient Conviction Virtuous Compelling Nevertheless Convincing

Book:A Devil's Chaplain

Source: A Devil's Chaplain

“The moment we find the reason behind an emotion the wall is breached, and the positive memories it has kept from us return too. That's why it pays to ask those painful questions. The answers can set you free.”

Reason Moments Asks Memories Answers Pay Emotion Behinds Wall Return Painful Questioning

Author:Gloria Steinem

“The same reason makes a man a religious enthusiast that makes a man an enthusiast in any other way ... an uncomfortable mind in an uncomfortable body.”

Men Way Mind Reason Body Religious Enthusiasm Uncomfortable

Book:Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)

“One said he wondered that leather was not dearer than any other thing. Being demanded a reason: because, saith he, it is more stood upon than any other thing in the world.”

World Said Reason Leather

Author:William Hazlitt

“A man does not wonder at what he sees frequently, even though he be ignorant of the reason. If anything happens which he has not seen before, he calls it a prodigy.”

Ifs Men Doe Reason Happens Wonder Things Happen Ignorant Familiarity Prodigies

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“For this reason, if you believe proverbs, let me tell you the common one: "It is unlucky to marry in May.”

Ifs Believe May Reason Common Let Me If You Believe Matrimony Unlucky

Author:Ovid

“The accidental prescriptions of authority, when time has procured them veneration, are often confounded with the laws of nature, and those rules are supposed coeval with reason, of which the first rise cannot be discovered.”

Firsts Reason Law Authority Laws Of Nature Prescriptions Veneration

Book:The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

Source: The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

“Reason will by degrees submit to absurdity, as the eye is in time accommodated to darkness.”

Reason Eye Darkness Degrees Submit Absurdity

Author:Samuel Johnson

“The continuous disasters of man's history are mainly due to his excessive capacity and urge to become identified with a tribe, nation, church or cause, and to espouse its credo uncritically and enthusiastically, even if its tenets are contrary to reason, devoid of self-interest and detrimental to the claims of self-preservation.We are thus driven to the unfashionable conclusion that the trouble with our species is not an excess of aggression, but an excess capacity for fanatical devotion.”

“Wherever we find orderly, stable systems in Nature, we find that they are hierarchically structured, for the simple reason that without such structuring of complex systems into sub-assemblies, there could be no order and stability- except the order of a dead universe filled with a uniformly distributed gas.”

Reason Order Universe Simple Society Filled Complexes Gas Stability Stable Assembly Orderly Complex Systems

Author:Arthur Koestler

“Woe to the youth whom Fancy gains, Winning from Reason's hand the reins, Pity and woe! for such a mind Is soft contemplative, and kind.”

Mind Kind Reason Hands Winning Youth Gains Pity Fancy Woe Reins Contemplative

Book:The poetical works of Sir Walter Scott

Source: The poetical works of Sir Walter Scott

“You can't plan for a seizure of feeling, and for this reason I put everything else aside when I'm inspired.”

Reason Feelings Inspiration Plans Inspired Seizures

Author:May Sarton

“Never let us do wrong, because our opponents did so. Let us, rather, by doing right, show them what they ought to have done, and establish a rule the dictates of reason and conscience, rather than of the angry passions.”

Reason Done Shows Passion Ought Conscience Angry Opponents Doing Right

Author:James Joyce

“Misers, as death approaches, are heaping up a chest of reasons to stand in more awe of him.”

Reason Approach Awe Chests Misers

Book:Essays on Men and Manners

Source: Essays on Men and Manners

“God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love.”

Men Self Reason Government Democracy Rights Divine Conscience And Love Makers Self-government Inalienable Rights Truth And Love

Author:John Dryden

“And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than by disputes the public peace disturb; For points obscure are of small use to learn, But common quiet is mankind's concern.”

Ifs Way Stills Reason Use Running Church Common Mankind Quiet Concern Hearing Doctrine Obscure Disputes Another Way Curb

Book:Dryden: Selected Poems

Source: Dryden: Selected Poems

“Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes; When monarch reason sleeps, this mimic wakes.”

Reason Dream Sleep Fancy Monarchs I Had A Dream

Book:The Poetical Works of John Dryden

Source: The Poetical Works of John Dryden