Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Related Quotes

Arthur Schopenhauer

If you want to discover your true opinion of anybody, observe the impression made on you by the first sight of a letter from him.

Impression | Opinion |

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

A man’s fate is his own temper; and according to that will be his opinion as to the particular manner in which the course of events is regulated. A consistent man believes in destiny, an capricious man in chance.

Chance | Destiny | Events | Fate | Man | Opinion | Temper | Will | Fate |

Ben Jonson

The two chief things that give a man reputation in counsel, are the opinion of his honesty, and the opinion of his wisdom; the authority of those two will persuade.

Authority | Counsel | Honesty | Man | Opinion | Reputation | Will | Wisdom |

Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

Absurd | Belief | Evidence | Majority | Mankind | Opinion |

Blaise Pascal

The majority is the best way, because it is visible and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the least able.

Majority | Opinion | Strength |

Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell

One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.

Opinion | Prison | Public | Respect | Submission | Tyranny | Respect |

Blaise Pascal

Force rules the world - not opinion; but opinion which makes use of force.

Force | Opinion | World |

Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell

The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

Absurd | Belief | Evidence | Majority | Mankind | Opinion |

Blaise Pascal

The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the least able.

Majority | Opinion | Strength |

Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell

The fact that the majority of a community dislikes an opinion gives it no right to interfere with those who hold it. And the fact that the majority of a community wishes not to know certain facts gives it no right to imprison those who wish to know them.

Majority | Opinion | Right | Wishes |

Charles Caleb Colton

When in the company of sensible men, we ought to be doubly cautious of talking too much, lest we lose two good things - their good opinion and our own improvement; for what we have to say we know, but what to say we know not.

Good | Improvement | Men | Opinion | Talking |

Charles Caleb Colton

It has been shrewdly said that when men abuse us, we should suspect ourselves, and when they praise us, them. It is a rare instance of virtue to despise censure which we do not deserve, and still more rare to despise praise, which we do. But that integrity that lives only on opinion would starve without it.

Abuse | Censure | Despise | Integrity | Men | Opinion | Praise | Virtue | Virtue |

Carl Sandburg

A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.

God | Opinion | World |

Charles Caleb Colton

The intoxication of anger, like that of the grape, shows us to others, but hides us from ourselves. We injure our own cause in the opinion of the world when we too passionately defend it.

Anger | Cause | Opinion | World |

Bruce Barton

Obstinacy and vehemency in opinion are the surest proofs of stupidity.

Opinion | Stupidity |

Dale Carnegie, originally spelled Dale Carnegey

When I look at the stars and realize that the light from some of these suns takes a million years to reach my eyes, I realize how tiny and insignificant this earth is, and how microscopic and evanescent are my own little troubles. I will pass on soon; but the sea stretching for a thousand miles in all directions and the stars and spiral nebulae swarming through illimitable space above, they will continue for thousand of millions of years. I marvel that any man looking up at the stars can have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance.

Earth | Light | Little | Man | Opinion | Space | Troubles | Will |

Dale Carnegie, originally spelled Dale Carnegey

One of the surest ways of making a friend and influencing the opinion of another is to give consideration to his opinion, to let him sustain his feeling of importance.

Consideration | Friend | Opinion |

Elton Trueblood, fully David Elton Trueblood

The notion that one opinion is as good as another will not work in any other area of human experience, why should it work in the area of faith?

Experience | Faith | Good | Opinion | Will | Work |