Great Throughts Treasury

"The truth survives, the untruth perishes. Men have but little capacity for the recognition of truth at first sight, and of a hundred things which seem plausible, it is fortunate if one be true. Hence it is well that all things should be held at arm’s length and stand the scrutiny of our prejudices and interests, of our religion and our skepticism."

"The greatest barrier in this world is use and wont. To say that a thing has never yet been done among men is to erect a barrier stronger than reason, stronger than discussion."

"For the ordinary business of life an ounce of habit is worth a pound of intellect."

"The best of us only pass from one inaccuracy to another, and so do the worst, but on the whole, the last inaccuracy is nearer the truth than the old one."

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation."

"The reason why the race of man moves slowly is because it must move all together."

"If there's one thing for which I admire you, it's your original discovery of the Ten Commandments."

"Most new things are not good and die an early death; but those, which push themselves forward, and by slow degree force themselves on the attention of mankind are the unconscious productions of human wisdom and must have honest consideration, and must not be made the subject of unreasoning prejudice."

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."

"To say that a thing has never yet been done among men is to erect a barrier stronger than reason, stronger than discussion."

"It is a very lonely life that a man leads, who becomes aware of truths before their times."