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Reason Quotes

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Reason Quotes

“It is natural to men to judge of things less known, by some similitude they observe, or think they observe, between them and things more familiar or better known. In many cases, we have no better way of judging. And, where the things compared have really a great similitude in their nature, when there is reason to think that they are subject to the same laws, there may be a considerable degree of probability in conclusions drawn from analogy.”

Thinking Men Way May Reason Law Natural Known Cases Subjects Judging Degrees Familiar Conclusion Probability Better Ways Analogies

Book:Philosophical works

Source: Philosophical works

“You may well ask why I write. And yet my reasons are quite many. For it is not unusual in human beings who have witnessed the sack of a city or the falling to pieces of a people to set down what they have witnessed for the benefit of unknown heirs or of generations infinitely remote; or, if you please, just to get the sight out of their heads.”

Source: The Bodley Head Ford Madox Ford: The good soldier. Selected memories. Poems

“But the possibility of abuse may be a good reason for leaving capabilities out of other computer languages, it's not a good reason for leaving capabilities out of Perl.”

May Reason Language Possibility Computer Abuse Leaving Capability Computer Language Perl

Author:Larry Wall

“To begin with, I hold that there is never an end; everything of which our life is composed, pictures and books as much as anything else, is a means only, in the sense that the work of art exists in the body of the movement of life. It may be a strong factor of progress and direction, but we cannot say that it is the end or reason of things, for it is so much implicated with them ; and when we are speaking of art we suddenly find that we are talking of life all the time.”

May Mean Art Book Ends Reason Body Life Is Strong Talking Our Lives Progress Movement Factors Works Of Art

Book:Wyndham Lewis the Artist

Source: Wyndham Lewis the Artist

“Up until today evil has lured goodness into evil, but goodness has not been able to lure evil into goodness. This may be the reason why up to today Christianity has not been able to boldly fulfill the Will of God.”

May Reason Today Able Evil Christianity Goodness Gods Will Reason Why Lure

Author:Sun Myung Moon

“One of the chief reasons for the widespread fear of the Huns rested on their ability to travel very long distances in relatively short periods. This ability may well have been based on their use of horseshoes.”

Wells May Long Has Beens Reason Use Ability Periods Distance Chiefs Long Distance Horseshoes

Book:The evolution of civilizations: an introduction to historical analysis

Source: The evolution of civilizations: an introduction to historical analysis

“Vitality springs from diversity -- which makes for real progress so long as there is mutual toleration, based on the recognition that worse may come from an attempt to suppress differences than from acceptance of them. For this reason, the kind of peace that makes progress possible is best assured by the mutual checks created by a balance of forces-alike in the sphere of internal politics and of international relations.”

Source: Why Don't We Learn from History?

“Knowing that one may be subject to bias is one thing; being able to correct it is another.”

May Reason Able Knowing One Thing Subjects Bias

Book:Explaining Social Behavior

Source: Explaining Social Behavior

“There are so many kinds of madness, so many ways in which the human brain may go wrong; and so often it happens that what we call madness is both reasonable and just. It is so. Yes. A little reason is good for us, a little more makes wise men of some of us--but when our reason over-grows us and we reach too far, something breaks and we go insane.”

Men Way Humans Kind May Littles Reason Happens Grows Brain Break Wise Madness Insane Reasonable Human Brain

Book:Works by James Oliver Curwood (Illustrated, 22 books)

Source: Works by James Oliver Curwood (Illustrated, 22 books)

“Whoever is acquainted with the cruel injustice and unjust subordination frequently manifested in the family, whoever sees matters of lasting and supreme importance relative to the beginning and continuance of the family determined by momentary fancy or unreasoning passion, cannot but desire the construction of a social fabric in which reason may rule with perfect justice.”

Source: The Family: An Historical and Social Study

“The cookbook gives a detailed description of ingredients and procedures but no proofs for its prescriptions or reasons for its recipes; the proof of the pudding is in the eating. ... Mathematics cannot be tested in exactly the same manner as a pudding; if all sorts of reasoning are debarred, a course of calculus may easily become an incoherent inventory of indigestible information.”

Ifs Giving May Reason Courses Information Eating Mathematics Proof Reasoning Description Ingredients Recipes Tested Procedures Prescriptions Calculus Cookbook Inventory Pudding

Author:George Polya

“If you follow the ways in which you were trained, which you may have inherited, for no other reason than this, you are illogical.”

Ifs Way May Reason Independence Illogical

Author:Rumi

“The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.' The reason is that beliefs guide behavior, which has evolutionary importance among human beings. But at a time when our behavior may well lead us to extinction, I see no reason to assume we have any awareness at all. We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion.”

Source: The Lost World

“At present we can only reason of the divine justice from what we know of justice in man. When we are in other scenes, we may have truer and nobler ideas of it; but while we are in this life, we can only speak from the volume that is laid open before us.”

Knows Men May Ideas Reason Speak Justice Divine Scene This Life Volume Divine Justice

Book:The prose works of Alexander Pope: The major works, 1725-1744

Source: The prose works of Alexander Pope: The major works, 1725-1744

“Revelation may not need the help of reason, but man does, even when in possession of revelation. Reason may be described as the candle in the man's hand, to which revelation brings the necessary flame.”

Men Needs May Doe Reason Helping Hands He Man Possession Flames Revelations Candle

Book:Egeria: Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside

Source: Egeria: Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside

“There are two distinct visits to tackle-shops, the visit to buy tackle and the visit which may be described as Platonic when, being for some reason unable to fish, we look for an excuse to go in, and waste the tackle dealer's time.”

Looks May Two Reason Sea Waste Rivers Fishes Excuse Boat Shops Lakes Fishing Dealer Platonic

Author:Arthur Ransome

“Among the many inconsistencies which folly produces or infirmity suffers in the human mind, there has often been observed a manifest and striking contrariety between the life of an author and his writings... Those whom the appearance of virtue or the evidence of genius has tempted to a nearer knowledge of the writer, in whose performances they may be found, have indeed had frequent reason to repent their curiosity.”

Writing Mind Humans May Reason Suffering Found Virtue Produce Genius Evidence Performances Curiosity Appearance Folly Human Mind Manifest Tempted Repent Infirmity Inconsistency

Book:Selected poetry and prose

Source: Selected poetry and prose

“It is not difficult to conceive, however, that for many reasons a man writes much better than he lives. For without entering into refined speculations, it may be shown much easier to design than to perform. A man proposes his schemes of life in a state of abstraction and disengagement, exempt from the enticements of hope, the solicitations of affection, the importunities of appetite, or the depressions of fear.”

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

“Every jock gets up and tells the world how lucky he is. But I feel that I may be the luckiest one of all in terms of timing and being at the right place at the right moment-even though, for the last 30 years, I was told I was born 20 years too soon, for obvious reasons.”

World Feels Years May Reason Moments Lasts Sports Term Born Lucky Obvious Get Up Timing Right Place Right Moment Jocks

Author:Bob Cousy

“The main reason people fail is they become attached to others who hold them back. Letting go of others and going forward may seem like a lonely and impossible task, but I assure you it is not.”

People May Reason Seems Success Careers Impossible Failing Buddhism Letting Go Tasks Lonely

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Nature ordains that a man should wish the good of every man, whoever he may be, for this very reason that he is a man.”

Men Should May Reason Wish Atheism Positive Atheism Every Man

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Christians tell me that they have a higher destiny than the lower animals, because Homo Sapiens can reason. But the Bible tells me that this gift of reason, which they call god-given, may be the match that lights the fires of hell for all who dare to use it, since whatever is not of faith is sin.”

May Reason Use Light Christian Given Sin Animal Destiny Hell Fire Atheism Higher Dare Positive Atheism Homo Sapiens

Author:Ruth Hurmence Green

“Our reason may prove what it will: our reason is only a feeble ray that has issued from Nature.”

May Reason Atheism Prove Positive Atheism Rays

Book:Wisdom and Destiny: Works of Maeterlinck

Source: Wisdom and Destiny: Works of Maeterlinck

“As for Christianity's alleged concern with truth, Christian faith is to free inquiry what the Mafia is to free enterprise. Christianity may be represented as a competitor in the realm of ideas to be considered on the basis of its merits, but this is mere disguise. Like the Mafia, if Christianity fails to defeat its competition by legitimate means (which is a forgone conclusion), it resorts to strong-arm tactics. Have faith or be damned - this biblical doctrine alone is enough to exclude Christianity from the domain of reason.”

Source: Atheism: The Case Against God

“What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable and tremendous! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal and falacious! Would to God that wise measures may be taken in time to avert the consequences we have but too much reason to apprehend.”

“The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.”

Men May Reason Moral Dangerous He Man Criminals Gifted True Education Purpose Of Education

Book:The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr

Source: The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr

“Suicide is a crime the most revolting to the feelings; nor does any reason suggest itself to our understanding by which it can be justified. It certainly originates in that species of fear which we denominate poltroonery. For what claim can that man have to courage who trembles at the frowns of fortunes? True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life in whatever shape they may challenge him to combat.”

Men May Doe Reason Feelings Understanding Challenges Crime Shapes Claims Suicide Fortune Species Superiors Combat Heroism Justified True Hero

Author:Napoleon Bonaparte

“Let us not dream that reason can ever be popular. Passions, emotions, may be made popular; but reason remains ever the property of an elect few.”

May Made Reason Dream Passion Emotion Remains Property

Book:Conversations with Goethe in the Last Years of His Life

Source: Conversations with Goethe in the Last Years of His Life

“For poetry exists to break through to below the level of reason where the angels and monsters that the amenities keep in the cellar may come out to dance, to rove and roar, growling and singing, to bring life back to the enclosed rooms where too often we are only 'living and partly living.”

May Reason Levels Rooms Break Singing Angel Monsters Break Through Cellars Amenities Growling

Book:Writings on Writing

Source: Writings on Writing

“A wound in the friendship of young persons, as in the bark of young trees, may be so grown over as to leave no scar. The case is very different in regard to old persons and old timber. The reason of this may be accountable from the decline of the social passions, and the prevalence of spleen, suspicion, and rancor towards the latter part of life.”

Source: Essays on men and manners. A description of the Leasowes, the seat of the late William Shenstone, esq., by R. Dodsley. Verses to Mr. Shenstone

“Whenever one refuses to admit such a self-evident truth, for instance, as that it is wrong to steal, don't argue with him-search him; the reason may be found in his pocket.”

May Self Reason Found Refuse Arguing Stealing Instance Pockets Evident

Book:In His Image: By William Jennings Bryan

Source: In His Image: By William Jennings Bryan

“Madness is consistent; which is more than can be said for poor reason. Whatever may be the ruling passion at the time continues equally so throughout the whole delirium, though it should last for life. Madmen are always constant in love; which no man in his senses ever was. Our passions and principles are steady in frenzy; but begin to shift and waver, as we return to reason.”

Men Should May Said Reason Whole Lasts Passion Poor Principles Return Madness Constant Senses Consistent Steady Ruling Madmen Frenzy Delirium Ruling Passion

Book:The Posthumous Works of Laurence Sterne: ...

Source: The Posthumous Works of Laurence Sterne: ...