The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.

The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.

The wise have always said the same things, and fools, who are the majority have always done just the opposite.

Opinion is like a pendulum and obeys the same law.

A poet or philosopher should have no fault to find with his age if it only permits him to do his work undisturbed in his own corner; nor with his fate if the corner granted him allows of his following his vocation without having to think about other people.

The majority of men... are not capable of thinking, but only of believing, and... are not accessible to reason, but only to authority.

Just as the largest library, badly arranged, is not so useful as a very moderate one that is well arranged, so the greatest amount of knowledge, if not elaborated by our own thoughts, is worth much less than a far smaller volume that has been abundantly and repeatedly thought over.