Things could not have been brought into being by God in any manner or in any order different from that which has in fact obtained.
Baruch SpinozaHe that can carp in the most eloquent or acute manner at the weakness of the human mind is held by his fellows as almost divine.
Baruch SpinozaTo give aid to every poor man is far beyond the reach and power of every man. Care of the poor is incumbent on society as a whole.
Baruch SpinozaThe greatest good is the knowledge of the union which the mind has with the whole nature.
Baruch SpinozaHatred is increased by being reciprocated, and can on the other hand be destroyed by love.
Baruch SpinozaMen would never be superstitious, if they could govern all their circumstances by set rules, or if they were always favoured by fortune: but being frequently driven into straits where rules are useless, and being often kept fluctuating pitiably between hope and fear by the uncertainty of fortune's greedily coveted favours, they are consequently for the most part, very prone to credulity.
Baruch Spinoza